Aged care news highlights from the week ending 25 May 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.

Budget News

Budget measures insufficient to fix aged care: Briggs

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the government’s funding commitment to aged care in the Federal Budget is too little to make lasting change, an aged care royal commissioner has told an industry conference. Aged care royal commissioner Lynelle Briggs said she was pleased to see the government had accepted the majority of the recommendations in their final report and committed an additional $17.7 billion over five years. “That’s a lot of money in anyone’s terms, but it’s still not enough money to do the job properly in order to fix the system’s problems comprehensively so that all Australians have got confidence in the system,” Ms Briggs told the Aged and Community Services Australia National Online Summit on Wednesday.

Opposition leader says government ignored key royal commission findings: budget reply

According to Aged Care Insite, opposition leader Anthony Albanese used his budget reply speech to take the Liberal Government to task for rejecting many of the royal commission's recommendations in last week's budget. Albanese said that the budget ignored key reforms that would have a massive impact on the sector. "The Prime Minister must now explain why he has rejected so many of those important recommendations," he said. "Like the recommendation to require a nurse on duty in nursing homes at all times. Or support for increasing the appallingly low wages of hard-working aged care staff. Or why he’s opted for fewer hours of care than the Royal Commission recommended, and delivered them much later.”

Extra home care packages will boost home care bottom line by $116m

According to Community Care Review, the home care sector is set to gain $116.5 million a year from the government’s commitment to release more than 110,000 additional home care packages, according to an economic analysis. That includes the additional 80,000 home care packages announced in the federal budget and 33,000 released as part of the 2020 budget and MYEFO announcements.

Tech shortcomings to impact reporting requirements

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care stakeholders have voiced concerns about the challenges many providers will face to meet additional reporting requirements announced in the Federal Budget. Under the new measures aged care providers will have to report on care staffing minutes at the facility level annually from July 2021. Then from July 2022, they will need to report staffing minutes quarterly as well as provide a monthly statement to residents and family members outlining the care received including any significant changes or events during the month. This information along with the reporting requirements attached to the new $10 Basic Daily Fee supplement will inform the star rating system on My Aged Care from December 2022 as of a $200 million package to help people compare aged care homes.

Coronavirus/COVID-19 News

Update: Support for Aged Care Workers in COVID-19 (SACWIC) grant opportunity deadlines

(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, support for Aged Care Workers in COVID-19 (SACWIC) Grant funding is available to providers for out of pocket costs incurred for hotspot activity periods. SACWIC reimburses out of pocket costs incurred by the provider as a result of covering employee wages under single site arrangements, leave costs related to self-isolation or quarantine requirements and additional employee training costs.

Providers are able to apply for SACWIC funding via Grant Connect for the following hotspots/high risk areas until 30 June 2021:

Victoria

• Greater Melbourne: 15 July 2020 – 30 November 2020 and 13 February 2021 to 17 February 2021
• Mitchell Shire: 15 July 2020 – 30 November 2020
• Suburbs of Brighton, Doveton, Glen Waverley, McKinnon, Moorabbin and Mordialloc: 31 December 2020 – 29 January 2021

Queensland

• Local Government Areas of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redland and Logan: 8 January 2021 – 22 January 2021 and 30 March 2021 to 13 April 2021
• New South Wales
• Local Government Area of  the Northern Beaches: 18 December 2020 – 29 January 2021

The SACWIC grant opportunity will be extended until 31 December 2021 to ensure single site arrangements can be implemented in any future hotspots.

For guidance on practical implementation of single site arrangements and the available funding support, providers can visit the Guiding Principles Support Hub website or phone the hotline on 1800 491 793.

Updated advice for ACT and NSW residential aged care facilities

(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:

Australian Capital Territory

On 17 May 2021, the ACT Chief Health Officer updated ACT COVID-19 advice. Key updates include:

• The Perth and Peel region local government areas (LGAs) are no longer considered geographical areas of risk in Australia.
• The geographical areas of risk still includes Greater Sydney LGAs, including Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong (from 26 April 2021) and Greater Melbourne LGAs (from 5 May 2021).
• Visitors are restricted from entering an aged care facility if they have been in a geographical area of risk in the last 14 days. ACT aged care providers can find out more information on the ACT Government website.

New South Wales

On 17 May 2021, the screening advice for residential aged and home care services has been updated. Key updates include:

The additional measures for mask wearing, visitor numbers and visiting outdoors in residential care facilities in Greater Sydney have been removed.

There has been no further local transmission of COVID-19 in NSW however there are still current close and casual contact locations.

COVID-19 vaccinations for staff, visitors and residents of residential aged care facilities should be prioritised.

Visitors must not enter an aged care facility if they have been to any close or casual contact locations in NSW or Interstate places of high concern. NSW aged care providers can find out more information on the NSW Health website.

State and territory aged care COVID-19 information

As the COVID-19 situation can change rapidly, aged care providers are reminded to stay up to date on visitor restrictions, PPE requirements and other measures relating to COVID-19 in aged care, from their relevant state or territory website below:

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

PPE

Aged care providers are asked to ensure they have a sufficient supply of PPE, to use their own supply of PPE first and to request extra supply as and when needed. If you urgently need PPE and cannot source it, please submit an online application. The application will need to be completed for your request to be considered. The Commonwealth is prioritising requests for PPE from the National Medical Stockpile to aged care services that are most in need.

Further information and advice

Please visit the Australian Government Department of Health website for information and resources to assist in preparing and managing a COVID-19 outbreak, including what to do in the first 24 hours of an outbreak in a residential aged care facility.

COVID-19 vaccine aged care roll-out update

(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, as at 14 May 2021, 287,792 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in 2,285 residential aged care and disability accommodation facilities across Australia. Of these, 1,495 have received second dose clinics.

The COVID-19 vaccines we have in Australia are the most effective way to protect against this infectious disease. For older Australians and others most at risk, getting vaccinated as quickly and safely as possible is critical.

This progress is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of aged care providers, staff, residents, vaccine providers and others throughout the roll-out.

The vaccine roll-out is being documented along the way and we invite you to watch and share a short video with residents and workers about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.

Reminder: COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries

(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 If a vaccine delivery arrives earlier than the day of the scheduled vaccination clinic, residential aged care facilities should direct the DHL driver to return on the appropriate day. If this occurs, residential aged care facilities should immediately call the Vaccine Operations Centre to report that the delivery attempt was made.

Residential aged care facilities are reminded they must not accept a COVID-19 vaccine delivery, and should never open the vaccine delivery. This is always the case, even if a vaccine delivery arrives earlier than 8am and a vaccine workforce provider in-reach team is not yet on-site.

Vaccine workforce providers are required to be on-site at residential aged care facilities to receive vaccine deliveries and assume responsibility for the vaccine from that point. This is a requirement under state and territory law.

If there are concerns on the integrity of the vaccine on delivery, vaccine workforce providers are responsible for notifying DHL and the Vaccine Operations Centre immediately.

Factsheet for residential aged care workers – now available in 19 languages

(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 Australian Government is making it easier for workers in residential aged care to get a COVID-19 vaccine. There are a range of options.

As is the case with all people living in Australia, people working in residential aged care will be offered a COVID-19 vaccine depending on their age:

• People aged 50 years and over will receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
• People aged under 50 years will receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

A factsheet and posters explaining all of the options available for residential aged care workers are now available in 19 languages. The translated factsheets and posters can be accessed on the Department of Health website.

Vaccinating in-home and community aged care recipients and 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 reminder that workers and recipients of in-home and community aged care can learn more about their options for COVID-19 vaccination via the in-home aged care COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet. The factsheet will shortly be available in 19 languages.

The Department of Health has also produced an easy guide to vaccination pathways for workers and recipients in in-home and community aged care.

The COVID-19 eligibility checker continues to be updated with information on where to get a vaccination:

• people aged 50 years and over will receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
• people aged under 50 years will receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 Eligibility Checker

(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 COVID-19 Eligibility Checker on the Department of Health website is the best place to find information on how and where to access a COVID-19 vaccination in your local area.

State and territory vaccination clinics are coming on line progressively and all aged care workers can visit a clinic to receive the appropriate COVID-19 vaccination in line with the recent recommendations by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

Arrangements for different state and territory clinics are happening progressively. Refer to the eligibility checker for available clinics in your state and territory.

Aged care workers 50 years and over can also use the eligibility checker to find participating general practice clinics, Commonwealth Vaccination Clinics and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services to access an AstraZeneca vaccine nearby.

If you can’t find details for nearby clinics check regularly as the listings will be updated as clinics become available.

Sonic Pfizer clinics for residential aged care workers aged under 50

(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, bookings can be made now by Sydney-based residential aged care workers aged under 50 to access a COVID-19 Pfizer vaccination at Macquarie Park in Sydney.

The Macquarie Park vaccination clinic will open on Monday 24 May, from 2pm to 10pm Monday – Friday and 8am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday.

Bookings can be made now via the Sonic Healthcare vaccinations website or 1300 379 878, which opens on Monday 24 May for eligible residential aged care workers (aged under 50 years).

Appointments can also be made at two clinics in Blacktown and Campbelltown which opened earlier this month.

These clinics are dedicated to aged and disability care workers only in the Sydney area.

Facilities will be advised as further clinics become available in other parts of Australia.

Victorian Aged Care Infection Prevention and Control Webinars

(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 transmission-based precautions and epidemiology, to outbreak management, employee health and leadership, this IPC instructional information is useful to anyone working in a residential aged care facility in Australia.

Facilitated by experts from the Victorian Infection Prevention Control Advice and Response (IPCAR), the VICNISS Coordinating Centre, the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre (VACRC) and the Rural Infection Control Practice Group (RICPRAC), the content forms part of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) Foundations course.

Webinars and recorded online forums are available online, watch the VICNISS aged care videos and attend coming events.

Other News

QI Program webinar: 26 May 2021

According to the Department of Health:

Register today for the free National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) webinar, to find out more about the new quality indicators and changes from 1 July 2021.

From 1 July, the QI Program requires residential aged care services to report on new quality indicators across five crucial areas of care.

The webinar will help you understand the new quality indicators and meet changed QI Program requirements from 1 July 2021, and cover:

• quality indicator definitions
• collection and reporting requirements
• guidance materials
• questions and answers.

The webinar will be held online and live-streamed. A recording will be published on the department’s website following the event, for those unable to attend.

Register Today

To transform aged care, workers need better wages and conditions

According to Hospital and Healthcare, HESTA research reveals that, without an adequate national effort to improve wages and conditions for the aged-care workforce, Australia could miss a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the skilled workforce needed to meet future demand. The research provides a unique insight into the workforce, with surveys taking a pre-COVID snapshot in May 2019 and during the pandemic in July 2020. The ‘State of the Sector Aged Care Workforce Insights: COVID and Beyond’ report found that poor pay and a lack of career opportunities were causing people to want to leave the industry.

Boosting nurse numbers saves patients and hospitals, says study

According to Hospital and Healthcare, an Australian study published in The Lancet reveals that a Queensland state policy to introduce a minimum ratio of one nurse to four patients for day shifts has successfully improved patient care, with a 7% drop in the chance of death and readmission and 3% reduction in length of stay for every one less patient a nurse has on their workload.

Aged care workers want career opportunities to stay

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, skills development, a desire to try something new and pay are the top three drivers for aged care workers wanting to leave their employer, the findings of a new report shows. The findings are in report released on Monday by industry superfund HESTA informed by online surveys with members pre-COVID in May 2019 and during the pandemic in July 2020 about their workplace experiences, job intentions and industry outlook. The State of the Sector Aged Care Workforce Insights: COVID and Beyond report is based on the responses of 1,568 members working in the aged care sector as well as other insights including from discussions with representatives of industry peak bodies, employers and unions.

New requirements to increase transparency of residential care providers’ financial performance

(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 Government has announced that it will implement the Royal Commission’s recommendations to introduce more stringent reporting requirements and strengthen prudential requirements of providers. These recommendations will be implemented through a new Financial and Prudential Monitoring, Compliance and Intervention Framework, phased in over three years, to improve accountability and transparency of the sector.

Phase 1 will introduce new mandatory reporting requirements and an expansion of the information collected in the 2020-21 Aged Care Financial Report (ACFR).

Major changes to the ACFR include:

• detailed residential segment income and expense statement at the facility level
• enhanced approved provider reporting
• consolidated parent level segment report
• permitted uses reconciliation.

The department has conducted targeted and sector wide consultations on the above changes to the ACFR. Feedback from these consultations has been incorporated in the revised ACFR and transitional arrangements will be available with the commencement of the new reporting requirements. The due date for the 2020-21 ACFR is 31 October 2021. Further details and revised templates can be found on the ACFR forms webpage.

More information on phase 2 will be provided ahead of its expected implementation from 1 July 2022. Phase 3 of the framework (expected implementation from 1 July 2023) will be informed by future consultations with the sector. 

Aged Care Provider research project 

(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 Australian Government’s response to the Aged Care Royal Commission will mean change for providers. The new support at home program aims to provide a seamless system of in-home aged care, to better support and match timely services to the needs of older Australians living at home and in the community, and their informal carers.

The department wants to understand providers’ readiness to adapt to sector reforms and how to best support the transition to the new program. The department has launched a research project to understand the range of provider experiences and views.

The department has engaged Boston Consulting Group to undertake an analysis of all aged care providers Australia-wide to:

• understand your readiness for change
• understand the areas where you will need support to manage a transition to the new system
• hear concerns you may have about the impact of the incoming reforms on your business

Information about the survey

The survey will be available in June. We will let you know when it is open.

Your response to the survey is critical in shaping the new program and the support the department can provide to you over the coming months and years in transition to the new system. The results will inform the strategy for change management and sector support.

Further involvement and information

If you would like to express interest in taking part in an interview or panel discussions to contribute to the survey, email provider.research@bcg.com. All data collected will only be used for this project. More information about the aged care reforms is available on the department's website.

Survey – Skills development program for aged care staff

(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, Australian Healthcare Associates (AHA), on behalf of the department, is seeking the views of aged care management and staff (including nurses, allied health workers, and personal care workers) to inform a skills development program for staff working in home-based and residential aged care.

The project seeks to:

• identify existing training gaps and opportunities for the aged care workforce
• consider the training priorities and preferences of staff

Findings from the project will inform recommendations for an online skills development program. This survey is focused on training for people already working in aged care.

If you are interested in contributing to this important project, you can complete a brief, anonymous survey about these issues. The survey is open until 11:59 pm AEST on 2 June 2021, and will take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

Participate in the survey

You can also copy and paste the link into your browser.

We encourage you to forward this link to other people you work with who may be interested.

Focus groups

At the end of the survey, participants will have the option of providing contact details to register their interest in participating in an online focus group to discuss their views in more detail.

Please contact skills-development@ahaconsulting.com.au if you have any questions about the project.

Warnings over fake myGov site

According to The Senior, the seemingly-innocent email from the "myGov Customer Care Team" simply asks users to verity their details. But it's one of the latest ways scammers are trying to steal valuable personal information and banking details. Australian Tax Office (ATO) assistant commission Ben Foster said the new phishing scam had many of the classic warning signs of illegitimate emails, including asking people to click a link to confirm their details and spelling errors.

Aged care provider uptake of My Health Record remains low

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, residential aged care facilities have just over two years to adopt the national health record system, which has poor uptake to date, an industry forum has heard. In its response to the aged care royal commission final report, the government said it would support residential aged care facilities to adopt My Health Record by June 2023. As of 25 April, 10 per cent of residential aged care facilities registered for My Health Record but only 3 per cent have used the system, a spokesperson from the Australian Digital Health Agency told Australian Ageing Agenda.

Legislation

No significant developments this week.

Resources and Upcoming Events

Flu vaccination poster

The Department of Health has issued this Flu Vaccination Poster. Residential aged care facilities may wish to display the attached poster at entrances, to alert anyone entering the facility of the flu vaccination requirements that came into effect on 1 May 2020.

Older Person’s COVID-19 Support Line

According to The Department of Health, a new Older Person’s COVID-19 Support Line has been set up to provide information, support and check on older Australians during the period of social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COTA Australia, National Seniors, Dementia Australia and the Older Person’s Advocacy Network have banded together to deliver this service with support from the Australian Government.

Senior Australians, their families and carers can freecall 1800 171 866 if they:

• would like to talk with someone about what COVID-19 means for them or a loved one
• are feeling lonely or distressed
• are caring for a someone and need some information or a listening ear about what COVID-19 means for your circumstances
• are worried about COVID-19 means for their usual aged care service
• are worried about a friend or family member living with dementia.
• are unable to access information on the internet and would like up-to-date advice.

Home care services providers can also use the number and dial option 1 to refer home care clients who would like a call from an independent organisation to check on their wellbeing.

The service will include outbound and inbound calls to provide contact, reassurance and practical advice on connecting to services to maximise social engagement and wellbeing whilst at home.

Resources on diverse population groups are now available for aged care staff

According to The Department of Health, The End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) website helps you to care for older Australians at the end of life. Our new diversity resources can help health workers and aged care staff to care for:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Care leavers
• Carers
• Culturally and linguistically diverse people
• Financially or socially disadvantaged people
• People experiencing homelessness
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people
• People living in rural and remote areas
• People with spirituality and faith beliefs
• Veterans

How people think about death, dying and end of life is different for each person. Learning about these differences can help you to provide good palliative care. Access these resources on the Diverse Population Groups page of the ELDAC website.

What Matters Most – New person centred care resources

According to The Department of Health, Palliative Care Australia, through a Dementia and Aged Care Services Fund grant, has launched a suite of resources to encourage early conversations about What Matters Most to older people, their care and their end of life preferences.

6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care

Issued by the Department of Health, this infographic outlines the 6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care.

Aged care video alert: Dignity of risk

According to Lexology, the concept of dignity of risk is not entirely new, however it now has a position of prominence in aged care with the Aged Care Quality Standards. In this video update, senior associate Dr Melanie Tan explains:

• What does dignity of risk mean?
• Where and when does dignity of risk apply?
• What is the duty of care within dignity of risk?