Aged care news highlights from the week ending 28 January 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.

Coronavirus/COVID-19 News

Aged care workers to receive two payments to help retain staff amid COVID outbreaks

According to ABC News, aged care workers will receive two bonus payments totalling up to $800 by early May, as part of government support for the sector. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to announce the additional cash splash in a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday. The amount each worker gets will be determined by how many hours they have worked, with the first payment being made in February and the second at the beginning of May.

Fears of aged care industry exodus as unions slam cash payments for workers

According to ABC News, the federal government is being warned that one-off cash payments to aged care workers will not stem a flood of staff leaving the industry.

COVID-positive staff must not work in 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, approved providers of aged care are reminded that staff who are COVID-19 positive must not work in a residential aged care facility. COVID-positive staff must isolate in accordance with requirements in the relevant public health order in each state/territory. Where COVID-positive staff are well and able to undertake supporting functions for the facility from their own home, this is supported.

On 1 January 2022, the Chief Medical Officer of the Commonwealth Department of Health, Professor Paul Kelly, approved interim guidance for providers when determining whether to place work restrictions on aged care workers. The Guidance was updated on 5 January 2022 to take account of the updated advice on the definition of contacts issued by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC).

‘No end in sight’ for a sector in crisis

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a dozen service provider CEOs who have been working in the aged care sector for three decades or more have described the last seven days as the “toughest week” they have experienced in their professional lives.

Recording of webinar for NSW residential aged care providers available online

(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 webinar was held on the 14 January 2022 for NSW residential aged care facilities to highlight important changes to guidance on managing current COVID-19 outbreaks. A recording of the webinar is now available for on-demand viewing.

SA Health - Interim guidance for COVID-19 outbreak management

(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 SA Chief Public Health Officer approved the Information for Residential Aged Care Facilities – An interim guidance for COVID-19 outbreak management. The aim of this guidance is to provide clear recommendations to residential aged care facilities (RACFs) to reduce the impact of COVID on the health, wellbeing and social experiences of residents and staff, and on the functioning of the facility.

In particular, the document now authorises the Chief Executive (or equivalent) of the RACF, to grant work permissions during a period of quarantine to provide direct personal or nursing care. These permissions may be granted where the RACF is experiencing critical workforce shortages, to enable the safe operation of the facility and maintain the expected level of care to all residents.

The interim guidance is available on the SA Health website: Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine | SA Health. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the overall COVID-19 Strategy for Residential Aged Care Facilities. It is critical that the RACF’s Outbreak Management Plan is reviewed, practiced and up-to-date. RACFs should refer to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s Outbreak Management Planning in Aged Care guide for practical guidance in relation to the essential requirements to be addressed.

More nurses now eligible for Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment

According to the Department of Health, the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment to reward clinical skills and leadership now has expanded eligibility criteria to include a six-month payment.

Registered nurses (RNs) who work for an aged care employer for a six-month period will now be eligible for a half-payment. Eligibility periods for the six-month payment are:

• 1 May 2022 – 31 October 2022
• 1 May 2023 – 31 October 2023.

Under the changes, RNs working in large and medium rural towns (MMM 3-4) will also be able to receive an additional payment on top of the base payment, along with RNs working in remote areas (MMM 5-7).

Apply now: Business Improvement Fund Round 2

According to the Department of Health, applications are now open for the Business Improvement Fund ‑ Round 2 through the GrantConnect website. The Business Improvement Fund gives short-term grants to eligible residential aged care providers experiencing financial challenges. The grants support small to medium size providers (7 or fewer facilities) located in regional, rural and remote areas. Providers must submit independent business advice as part of the application. Find out more on the department’s website.

Additional support available under COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program Extension Grant (GO4863)

According to the Department of Health, the COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program Extension Grant reimburses providers for additional eligible costs incurred in managing a direct impact of COVID‑19. The grant has now been extended to 30 June 2022. Amendments to the Grant Opportunity Guidelines and updated Frequently Asked Questions, published on GrantConnect, outline a range of increased supports for providers. For more information please see the Grant Opportunity Guidelines (Grant Opportunity – GO4863) and regularly updated responses to frequently asked questions available on GrantConnect.

Two antiviral COVID-19 treatments approved

According to Hospital and Healthcare, the government has welcomed the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) provisional approval of the first oral treatments for COVID-19, Lagevrio (molnupiravir) and Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir).

‘It’s heartbreaking, it’s demoralising’: regulator intervenes at Sydney aged care home over Covid infections

According to The Guardian, the national aged care regulator has intervened in a south-west Sydney nursing home at the centre of a Covid outbreak after finding it failed to meet quality standards relating to infection control and effective management of the outbreak. On 6 January, Guardian Australia reported on a major outbreak at the Bupa Clemton Park facility that saw more than 60 residents and staff become infected with Covid-19, and one fully vaccinated person in palliative care die. After the report the aged care quality and safety commission formally intervened, ordering the facility to stop new admissions for six months for failing to meet compliance standards of the Aged Care Act.

‘Appalling’: Omicron response blasted

According to Aged Care Insite, Australia’s aged care sector was left unprepared to deal with Omicron as experts warn the government’s planning has been nothing short of “appalling”. Accusing the government of failing to roll out the booster program to residents fast enough, Australian Health Services Research Institute‘s Professor Kathy Eagar said every family should be concerned about what’s happening in aged care.

Other News

A five-month wait for residential care – why it pays to plan ahead for aged care

According to Aged Care 101, a new report released this week has highlighted the need for older Australians and their families to prepare for the aged care journey well before they may require services. The latest annual Report on Government Services by the Productivity Commission shows that waiting times for older Australians to enter an aged care home after their ACAT approval are now sitting at an average of 163 days – or over five months in 2020-21.

Legislation

Pandemic COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Specified Facilities) Order 2022 (No. 3) [VIC] -commenced 25 Jan 2022

The objective of this Order is to impose obligations upon operators of specified facilities in relation to the vaccination of workers, in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the population in these settings. This Order imposes obligations on operators of:

(a) residential aged care facilities;

(b) construction sites;

(c) healthcare facilities; and

(d) education facilities.