Aged care news highlights from the week ending 22 June 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 reporting of aged care worker COVID-19 vaccination status starts today, 15 June 2021

(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, mandatory reporting starts today, 15 June 2021, for all approved providers of residential aged care services to report and provide weekly updates every Tuesday on the COVID-19 vaccination status of your aged care workforce.

Starting today, 15 June 2021, all approved providers of residential aged care services must report every Tuesday.

It will become mandatory for providers of in-home and community aged care services in the coming weeks.

Reporting is via the My Aged Care portal for providers.

The new reporting requires approved providers to record de-identified data at a service level on the:

• total number of workers at each aged care service, and of those,
• the number of workers at each service who have received a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
• the number of workers at each service who have received all required doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Guidance and further information is available via Health.gov.au.

Gov says 100 per cent of aged care facilities have now had first vaccine doses, 94 per cent have had second

According to Aged Care Insite, more than five million Australians have received the Covid-19 vaccine as the federal government announced GPs will be able to administer doses for people with disabilities and the elderly at their homes. Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt said 5.9 million people had received their first vaccine dose and more than 5.8 million of them had been administered their second dose.

A vaccinated nurse one of three new positive cases in Victoria, worked with Arcare patients

According to Aged Care Insite, a vaccinated nurse has tested positive to Covid-19 in Victoria as the state recorded three new locally acquired infections on Wednesday. The state’s health department announced five new local cases about 8.30am, but two of those were previously revealed on Tuesday afternoon. In a positive sign, the health department said the three further cases were all linked to current outbreaks.

Unions call for paid COVID-19 vaccination leave

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the peak body for Australian unions has written to the Federal Government calling for four days paid leave for aged care workers to recover from any side effects of the COVID-19 vaccinations. The Australian Council of Trade Unions is also calling on the Federal Government to deliver on its promise to provide COVID-19 vaccinations on-site at residential aged care facilities. In its letter, the ACTU proposes that aged care and disability workers receive two days paid leave for each COVID-19 dose and that employers arrange rosters to enable staff to receive their vaccine during paid time.

GPs, provider to assist aged care vaccine rollout

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Federal Government has enlisted general practitioners and a Victorian aged care provider to administer COVID-19 vaccines to aged care residents and staff. Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt announced on Tuesday that general practitioners can visit aged care recipients in aged care facilities or at home to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. GPs will be paid $56.50 plus the vaccination fee for the first recipient they visit in an aged care or disability home or recipient’s home, Mr Hunt said.

Other News

Aged care legislation now recognises NDIS worker screening

(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, aged care legislation has changed to recognise National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) worker screening clearances. This makes it easier for aged care providers and workers (staff and volunteers) that support NDIS participants.

Further information on the changes are available here, including factsheets on how the changes affect:

• aged care providers that are also registered NDIS providers
• aged care providers that are not registered NDIS providers
• aged care workers

These changes are a first step to streamline worker screening. The 2021–22 Budget measure ‘National Care and Support Worker Regulation’ will seek to align worker screening regulation across the aged care, disability and veterans' care sectors.

Report calls for RNs on duty in aged care at all times

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a New South Wales Government upper house cross-party committee has recommended the state mandate registered nurses in NSW aged care homes at all times at the appropriate level based on the number of residents. The Legislative Council select committee report also calls on the Commonwealth to fund and implement appropriate mandatory staffing levels of RNs, personal care workers and allied health professionals but adds the state should investigate mandating these levels if the Federal Government doesn’t act quickly enough.

Funding boost for CHSP

According to Community Care Review, the federal government has announced an additional $112.1 million for the provision of Commonwealth Home Support Program services. The funding will be made available over two years to 141 providers who apply through the CHSP Targeted Growth Funding Round. Aged care services minister Richard Colbeck says the funding will help providers deliver additional entry level CHSP services including meals, transport, social support, respite, gardening and cleaning.

Call for NSW govt to act on aged care recommendations

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the New South Wales Government risks continued poor quality in the state’s aged care homes if it waits for the new Aged Care Act to enact the recommendations of a recent inquiry, an aged care researcher warns. A NSW Government upper house cross-party committee made five findings and seven recommendations in its report examining registered nurses and other aspects of the state’s aged care homes.

Legislation

Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Requirements for Staff Members and Volunteers) Instrument 2021 [CTH] – commenced 16 June 2021

The purpose of the amendments under this Instrument is to allow approved providers in the aged care sector, as part of their responsibilities in relation to staff, to accept a clearance obtained from the National Disability Insurance Scheme Worker Screening Check process as an alternative to the police certificate requirements in the aged care legislation, in certain circumstances.

Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Transition Care) Instrument 2021 [CTH] – commenced 16 June 2021

This instrument amends the Approval of Care Recipients Principles 2014, the Subsidy Principles 2014 and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Rules 2018 to support the implementation of recommendations two and three of the Transition Care Programme (TCP) review, confirm that clients who are accessing hospital-in-the-home programs may enter the TCP and clarify certain matters.