Aged care news highlights from the week ending 20 August 2021, 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.

Coronavirus/COVID-19 News

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations for Residential Aged Care Workers

Vaccinations are not mandatory until the state/territory enacts a public health order to that effect. The status of the orders in the states/territories as at 24 August 2021, is as follows:

There are exemptions and complications within all the rules. For more information see Department of Health: Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in residential aged care.

Save-the-Date: mandatory COVID-19 vaccination webinar for residential aged care workers

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health, a series of jurisdiction-specific webinars will be presented to residential aged care workers over the next two weeks.

The webinars are to further support the residential aged care workforce on priority COVID-19 vaccination and to provide information about your state or territory public health order for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.

Workers are encouraged to save-the-date for the webinar in their region. Dates and times are available below:

These live webinars will provide an opportunity for residential aged care workers to get information on mandatory vaccination and to ask any questions they may have about vaccine safety and efficacy.

More information, including panellist and login details will be available shortly.

For WA residential aged care workers and providers, please see details of the WA Health – Residential Aged Care Worker Vaccination webinar scheduled for Wednesday 25 August at 1:15pm-2pm (AWST).

NSW to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all health workers – but not aged care yet

According to Aged Care 101, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard will sign a public health order in the coming days requiring compulsory vaccination for all health workers by 30 September after reaching an agreement with the state’s peak medical groups representing hundreds of thousands of workers. The decision to introduce mandatory vaccinations comes after NSW recorded a COVID-19 transmission event in a hospital every day for the past two weeks. But NSW and Victoria are yet to make public health orders for all aged care workers, part-time and full time, to have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine before 17 September after agreement was reached at the National Cabinet meeting on 28 June.

SA Health - information for RACFs on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health, from 17 September 2021, all RACF staff, contractors and volunteers are required to have received at least one dose of a TGA approved COVID-19 vaccine and have evidence of a booking to receive, or have received, a second dose.

The Information for Residential Aged Care Facilities fact sheet has been updated to cover some of the more specific questions that have been raised by the sector over the past week.

If you work in residential aged care it is time to get vaccinated now

According to the Department of Health, the 17 September deadline for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of residential aged care workers is quickly approaching. Residential aged care workers are prioritised to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of age.

Every residential aged care worker will be offered a COVID-19 vaccination at their workplace.

This will include on-site vaccination clinics or dedicated vaccination hubs in your area.

Ask your employer which of the below options will be available to you:

Onsite clinics at your workplace: These clinics are being delivered by:

• residential aged care providers
• GPs
• Commonwealth vaccine providers.

Dedicated vaccination hubs: These hubs will be located near residential aged care facilities and are being delivered by Commonwealth vaccine providers.

Roving in-reach clinics: Commonwealth roving clinics are returning to facilities to deliver in-reach clinics in 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in greater Sydney, in LGAs with outbreaks in regional NSW, and in Tier 1 locations in Victoria and Queensland.

You can also get your COVID-19 Pfizer vaccination through:

Primary care clinics: You can access a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine or an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a general practice, Commonwealth vaccination clinic (GP respiratory clinic), Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service or pharmacy. Refer to the eligibility checker for available clinics in your state and territory.

State and territory clinics: Residential aged care workers can get a priority Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at state and territory-run mass vaccination clinics. Refer to the eligibility checker for available clinics in your state and territory.

Identify yourself as a residential aged care worker and you should be prioritised to receive an appointment within seven days at primary care and state and territory clinics. You can also call the dedicated COVID-19 Vaccine Helpline on 1800 020 080 (select option 4) for any questions you may have about vaccination or for help to book a vaccination appointment.

Sydney lockdown: Covid-19 rapid antigen testing rolled out in aged care

According to Aged Care Insite, NSW will introduce Covid-19 rapid antigen testing across aged care facilities in greater Sydney in a bid to identify cases before they escalate into outbreaks. The commonwealth announced on Sunday it would roll out the new testing at the Uniting Bankstown Aged Care Facility on Monday, and then continue the program at other facilities that express interest. Rapid antigen testing (RAT) – which can test for Covid-19 and deliver a result in just 15 minutes – has been the source of much debate in Australian parliament, with some politicians urging the country should have adopted the approach sooner.

VIC RACFs aged care workers - exemption from authorised worker permit scheme

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health, the Victorian Premier recently announced that from 11:59pm Tuesday 17 August across metropolitan Melbourne, permits will be required for people to travel and attend workplaces to perform authorised work, unless an exemption applies.

Please note that aged care workers directly employed by residential aged care facilities (RACFs) are exempt, and are not required to obtain a permit.

Workers who are not required to have a permit, must carry identification from their place of work which includes:

• their name and place of work
• photo identification.

If a person’s workplace identification does not include a photo, another form of photo identification must be carried.

Workers who are not exempt from the permit requirements, or cannot satisfy the identification of workplace and personal photo requirements above, should obtain a permit from their employer and carry it when attending their place of work. For further information, please refer to the Premier's statement and the authorised worker permit resources page.

New direction for aged care workers on Queensland border

According to the Department of Health, Queensland Health have today issued a new direction which requires that a border zone resident may only enter Queensland from 1.00am on 21 August 2021 to perform essential work or provide emergency volunteering if they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

All aged care workers affected by this direction are able to walk in to any Queensland vaccination clinic to be vaccinated. The direction is available at Border Restrictions Direction (No. 36) Queensland Health. There are specific vaccination locations in border zones where you can get immediately vaccinated. Details of clinics where you can get your vaccination now are available at Walk-in vaccinations for essential workers entering Queensland.

Other News

Aged Care Quality Standards survey: Have your say

According to Inside Ageing, the Australian Government Department of Health is seeking feedback on the Aged Care Quality Standards as part of its response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. A 20-minute survey asks about the Quality Standards, and outcomes since their implementation on July 1, 2019.

Reminder: Behaviour Support Plans for residential aged care

According to the Department of Health, all residential aged care providers must have Behaviour Support Plans (BSP) in place from 1 September 2021.

BSPs form part of the existing Care and Services Plan and are required for any care recipient:

• that needs behaviour support
• where the use of a restrictive practice has been assessed as necessary, and
• where a restrictive practice is being used.
• They are an important part of providing care, dignity and respect to senior Australians.

It is important that a BSP:

• includes best practice support strategies
• is responsive to the care recipient’s needs
• seeks to reduce or end the need for restrictive practices
• provides individualised supports
• addresses the underlying causes of concern
• provides safeguards, and
• optimises the care recipient’s health and wellbeing.

The department has developed three fact sheets about minimising restrictive practices to support providers. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission also has resources to support providers to minimise the use of restrictive practices.

Update: Improved Payment Arrangements

The Department of Health has updated Improved Payment Arrangements (IPA) documents to support the changes being introduced as part of Phase 2, starting on 1 September 2021. These updates are available on the department’s website and include a Provider Fact Sheet and Provider Questions and Answers.

The department held an IPA webinar on 7 May 2021 for providers and aged care peak organisations. The live webinar recording has now been replaced with a slide deck.

Educational resources to help you and your staff with the IPA changes will be uploaded in the coming weeks to Services Australia’s Education Resources Gateway.

Additional materials will be uploaded to this website in the coming days and weeks, including a revised Care Recipient Fact Sheet, and Excel calculators. Providers are encouraged to monitor the website. For more information about IPA, visit the Department of Health website.

New legislated prudential and financial reporting requirements for aged care providers

According to the Department of Health: this is a reminder to approved providers that they will need to meet new reporting requirements through the 2020‑21 Aged Care Financial Report (ACFR), which is due for most providers by 31 October 2021.

Changes to the 2020‑21 ACFR include:

• new prudential and financial reporting requirements which came into force on 1 July 2021 through amendments to the Accountability Principles 2014. This includes a new requirement for some residential care providers to submit a financial support statement as part of their ACFR. The full list of legislative amendments can be found on the Federal Register of Legislation website. An in‑depth explanation is available in the explanatory statement.
• expansions to information collected in the ACFR, such as requiring residential aged care providers to report income and expense information at the facility level. Details on changes to the 2020‑21 ACFR are available on the ACFR forms web page.

Changes to reporting requirements will:

• offer greater transparency of the financial viability of approved aged care providers to enable earlier identification and monitoring of at-risk providers
• enable regional viability analysis of aged care services through facility level financial reporting
• support the Star Ratings system that will be published for consumers.

Legislation

Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Improved Home Care Payment Administration) Instrument 2021 [CTH] – commences 1 September 2021

This instrument provides for improvements to the Home Care Packages Program administration arrangements of paying home care subsidies to approved providers. It supports the implementation of changes made by the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Improved Home Care Payment Administration No.2) Act 2021.