Aged care news highlights from the week ending 18 November 2022, aggregated by CompliSpace.

The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the aged care sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.

COVID-19 News

No third booster for residents amid fifth wave

According to Aged Care Insite, Australians, including vulnerable groups, will not be asked to roll up their sleeves for a fifth Covid-19 vaccine just yet, Health Minister Mark Butler says. On the backdrop of a spike in cases across the country, Butler said ATAGI had considered international evidence, as well as local data, and “decided not to recommend” a third booster at this point.

State and Territory public health advice

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, all aged care providers are encouraged to remain up-to-date with any changes to the public health orders and advice in their regions, including those about requirements for visitors and staff. Your state or territory has the latest information on the COVID-19 isolation requirements in your region, which are also provided in the links below:

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Victoria
• South Australia
• Western Australia
• Tasmania
• Northern Territory
• Queensland

Other News

Teething troubles for AN-ACC payments

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, payments of residential aged care subsidies under the new Australian National Aged Care Classification funding model “may take longer than usual,” Services Australia has told Australian Ageing Agenda.

Aged care pay rise leaves ‘questions unanswered’

According to Aged Care Insite, while the majority of the aged care industry has welcomed the interim decision to raise wages by 15 per cent, sector advocates want more emphasis on recruitment and a pay rise for all staff employed in the sector.

Providers encouraged to apply for RN payment

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, applications are now open for the Australian Government’s Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment. The 2021 budget initiative worth up to $6,000 per individual each year for two years aims to reward RNs who stay with the same employer, work in rural areas or undertake postgraduate education or more responsibilities.

Home care cap fees announced

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Department of Health and Aged Care has announced the level at which it will cap home care administration fees. Following the passing of the federal government’s second aged care reform bill in October, the government has capped care management fees at 20 per cent and package management fees at 15 per cent.

Consultation closing soon: Revised Aged Care Quality Standards

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, there is still time to have your say on the revised Aged Care Quality Standards. Consultation closes on 25 November. Find out about the revised Quality Standards and have your say at the Aged Care Engagement Hub.

Webinar: Reporting under the SIRS for home services

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is hosting its third Serious Incident Reporting Scheme (SIRS) for home services webinar at 3:30pm–4:30pm AEDT on Wednesday 16 November. The recordings of other reform webinars held to date are on the Commission’s website.

Register for the webinar or email agedcarereform@agedcarequality.gov.au if you have questions.

Permanent closure of the AN-ACC Funding Helpdesk

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, with the implementation of the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) and a drop in enquiries about AN-ACC funding, the AN-ACC Funding Helpdesk will be permanently closed on Friday 9 December 2022. Providers can continue to contact the Helpdesk until this date and are encouraged to do so well in advance. The department aims to respond to all outstanding queries before 9 December, and will email providers if a response will be provided at a later date. Enquiries received after 9 December will not be forwarded. Providers should call the My Aged Care contact centre on 1800 200 422 (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 10am-2pm).

For more information see the Aged Care Funding Reform resources, including the AN-ACC Funding Guide.

24/7 registered nurse supplement and AN-ACC subsidy increase

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, as announced in the 2022-23 October Budget, residential aged care providers will receive the following support to meet registered nurse and care time requirements:

• from 1 July 2023, eligible residential aged care services with 60 residents or less will receive a supplement to support the delivery of 24/7 registered nurse care
• eligible residential aged care services will receive an increase in the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) Daily Basic Subsidy in 2024-25 to help meet the average care time requirement of 215 minutes per resident per day (including 44 minutes with a registered nurse).

For more information, see these resources:

• Care Minutes and 24/7 Nursing Requirements Guide
• 24/7 registered nurse supplement for residential aged care
• Aged care 24/7 registered nurse requirement

Webinar: Quarterly Financial Report – Quarter 2

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, from 1 January 2023, approved providers will be able to submit their Quarterly Financial Report (QFR) for the second quarter of the 2022-23 financial year. To help aged care providers prepare, the department is hosting a QFR Quarter 2 webinar from 2:00pm-3:30pm AEDT on Thursday 8 December.

Register and learn more about the webinar.

Reminder: Reporting of aged care residents and aged care staff influenza vaccinations in 2022

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, aged care services are reminded to complete the annual influenza vaccination reporting through the online form. This report should provide advice on the number of residents and aged care staff who received an influenza vaccination in 2022. The annual reporting for 2022 is required on 31 October 2022 and will be collected via the online form until 30 November 2022.

Recording available - Webinar: High risk weather season preparedness briefing

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in partnership with the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, hosted a briefing on the seasonal outlook, risks, and preparedness relevant to residential aged care homes and flexible aged care services on Friday 28 October 2022. A recording of the high risk weather preparedness webinar is now available and you can also view the slide show from the event.

Changes to social leave claiming

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, emergency leave was introduced in 2020 to be used only in declared emergency situations. As previously advised, a new emergency leave claiming type is available following the Aged Care Payment System upgrade on 20 August 2022. All social and emergency leave taken before 19 August 2022 should be submitted as emergency leave. Social and emergency leave taken from 20 August 2022 onwards are separate leave events and should be claimed separately.

A resident’s 52 days of allocated social leave for the 2022-23 financial year commenced from 20 August 2022. This coincides with the activation of the new emergency leave code. For enquiries about leave claiming contact Services Australia by calling 1800 195 206 or emailing aged.care.liaison@servicesaustralia.gov.au

‘Significant leap forward’ in wound detection, say researchers

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a world-first clinical study has shown a thermal-imaging tool could enable home-care nurses to identify hard-to-heal wounds weeks earlier than currently possible.

Legislation

Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Quality Indicator Program) Principles 2022 [CTH] – commences 1 April 2023

This instrument amends the Accountability Principles 2014 and the Records Principles 2014 to expand the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program by mandating quarterly reporting by approved providers of residential aged care on additional quality indicators from 1 April 2023.

Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Transition Care) Instrument 2022 [CTH] – commences 1 December 2022

This instrument amends the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Rules 2018, Quality of Care Principles 2014 and Subsidy Principles 2014 to allow the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner to conduct quality reviews of transition care provided in home care settings and to monitor the quality of transition care services provided in residential care and home care settings.