Aged care news highlights from the week ending 25 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.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, coronavirus cases in residential aged care homes have risen rapidly during the past six weeks, according to government figures. As of 13 October, there were 856 active cases in 168 residential aged care facilities across the country. Over the next few weeks, cases hovered just above 1,000 in 200 facilities before increasing, as of 10 November, to 2,040 cases in 309 aged care homes.
(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health and Aged Care 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 and Aged Care, aged care services are reminded to complete the annual influenza vaccination reporting through the online form by 30 November 2022. 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.
(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health and Aged Care 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 and Aged Care:
Question 1 - Are we still required to report COVID vaccination numbers and how often do we need to update rates in the My Aged Care portal?
All aged care providers are required to report on COVID-19 vaccination status of residents and staff via the My Aged Care provider portal each Tuesday.
Question 2 - With the removal of Public Health Declarations, how does this affect flu and COVID vaccination requirements?
Aged care workers are strongly encouraged to stay up to date with their influenza and COVID-19 vaccination to aid protection against both infection and severe disease for themselves and the people they care for. Some jurisdictions have requirements in relation to worker COVID-19 vaccinations set out in public health orders. Aged care workers and providers should stay up to date with the settings in place in their jurisdiction and note that these settings do change.
Question 3 - What is the advice for health care workers that are close contacts?
If you are a close contact, you should monitor for signs and symptoms and get tested, but you are not restricted from attending the workplace unless you are unwell. All aged care workers, including both residential aged care and workers who provide close personal care to an older person in their home or the community, should not attend work and should stay at home if they have respiratory symptoms to help prevent the spread. Workers who test positive for COVID-19 should not attend the workplace for at least 7 days.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, from 1 December 2022, approved providers will be required to use a new notification form when meeting their notification responsibilities under sections 9-1 and 9-2A of the Aged Care Act 1997.These responsibilities include:
For changes occurring before 1 December 2022, providers will be required to notify the Commission within 28 days. From 1 December 2022 providers must notify within 14 days. More information about these changes will be available on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s website.
According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, to assist providers to understand the new provider governance requirements, the Commission has released a guidance document and hosted a webinar. Providers are also encouraged to review the Commission’s national aged care reforms webpage.
From 1 December 2022, there will be new governance responsibilities for approved providers. This includes providers of residential aged care, home care packages, short-term restorative care both at home and in residential aged care settings, multi-purpose services and transition care. Existing approved providers will be required to:
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s aged care reform webinar series is available for viewing. The webinars will help providers prepare for the regulatory requirements starting on 1 December 2022. The webinar series and guidance documents can be viewed on the Commission’s reform website.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Code of Conduct for Aged Care commences on Thursday 1 December. Find support resources, including guidance materials for providers and workers, on the Commission’s website. View the final legislation on the Federal Register of Legislation and find more information on the department’s Code of Conduct for Aged Care webpage.
According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, a suite of guidance materials is now available on our website to help the sector prepare for the introduction of the Code of Conduct for Aged Care (the Code) on 1 December 2022. Located on the relevant provider, worker and consumer Code webpages are guidance documents, fact sheets, frequently asked questions, a provider readiness checklist and a video. We have held 2 webinars about the Code. An introduction to the Code was presented in a webinar specifically tailored to aged care workers on 11 November. You can access the recording and PowerPoint slides via our reforms webpage. Our webinar for aged care providers was held on 7 October. That recording and the slides are also accessible via our reforms webpage.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Star Ratings provider manual is now available on the department’s website. The manual includes detailed information about Star Ratings, including calculations and reporting requirements for the overall Star Rating and four sub-categories.
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.
According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, applications are now open for the Australian Government’s Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment. Aged care providers can apply on behalf of their eligible staff through a non-competitive grant process on the Grant Connect website. Applications close on 14 December 2022.
According to ACWIC, the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council (ACWIC) has called on aged care providers to protect the important role of Enrolled Nurses (ENs) to ensure that older Australians have access to high quality aged care.
According to Aged Care Insite, nurses and midwives have taken to the streets as part of a 24-hour strike to pressure the state government into taking their demands seriously for safer working conditions. Thousands of nurses showed up in force at the Sydney march, brandishing signs that laid bare the dark reality of the NSW health system.
According to Aged Care Insite, as the Fair Work Commission's aged care pay rise case moves to the second stage, government pressures rise after shocking report findings, and a controversial bill pushes forward in parliament. Earlier this month, the Fair Work Commission made an interim decision to raise wages by 15 per cent for aged care workers, excluding indirect workers such as cleaners, kitchen staff and administrative workers.
According to the Weekly Source, the Health Services Union has warned that the aged care sector is “on the brink of collapse”, with a survey of workers revealing 75% are considering jumping ship if they don’t get a significant pay rise.
According to the Weekly Source, certificate III qualifications for aged and disability care will be strengthened under new rules from Australia’s skills ministers.
According to the Weekly Source, there are fresh concerns over the quality of food being served at aged care homes, with Senate Estimates hearing that in the last financial year, more than 1,500 providers spent less than $10 per person per day on food or did not answer ACQSC questions on the subject.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, city of Greater Bendigo has announced it’s pulling the plug on home support services for older residents, saying it will no longer be able to operate under the new aged care system being ushered in by the federal government.
Home Care: Preparing for the Serious Incident Response Scheme: My Aged Care Service and Support portal
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, from 1 December 2022 the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) will extend beyond residential aged care to include providers of home and flexible aged care provided in home or community settings. For information about accessing or using the portal, see the Service and Support Portal resources on the Department of Health and Aged Care website. Provider guidance material on SIRS is available on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission website.
According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, from 1 December 2022, the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) will extend beyond residential aged care to apply to home care and flexible care delivered in a home or community setting. On 31 October, the Department of Health and Aged Care released the exposure draft and explanatory statement of the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Incident Management and Reporting) Instrument 2022. The consultation period closed on 13 November, and the legislative instrument is now in the process of being registered. Once that process is completed, we will finalise our SIRS guidelines for home services providers, which are currently available in draft form.
According to Community Care Review, people working across the home care sector are invited to register for an online conference taking place at the end of the month. Running over two days, 29 and 30 November – and called Change is Gonna Come! – the online event consists of presentations, plenaries and panels exploring what’s happening nationally in the community aged care space.
According to Community Care Review, 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.
No significant developments this week.