Aged care news highlights from the week ending 28 October 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.

Budget

Aged Care 2022-23 October Budget

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Government’s 2022-23 October Budget responds directly to 23 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommendations. Read about the aged care Budget measures. We invite all Australians to get involved in the aged care reforms. To sign up for engagement activities, visit the Aged Care Engagement Hub.

Budget ‘better than nothing’ but promises ‘no reform’: aged care experts

According to Aged Care Insite, aged care advocates and experts have said the federal government's first budget fulfilled key election promises but does not financially support true reform.

Aged care stakeholders praise budget

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care providers have welcomed this week’s federal budget for its commitment to implement royal commission reforms but have emphasised the remaining shortfalls in funding and workforce.

Budget supports seniors but fails to address workforce issues

According to Community Care Review, this week’s federal budget has delivered for seniors, but more could have been done to allow older workers to help address aged care and other sector workforce issues, says a consumer advocate.

Federal budget delivers to get NDIS ‘back on track’

According to Community Care Review, The Albanese Government has committed its support for people living with disability in its inaugural federal budget this week. Among a suite of measures announced Tuesday evening, the budget allocates an additional $385 million in 2023-24 to resource the National Disability Insurance Agency to deliver the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

COVID-19 News

Aged care nurse fined $25k for working with Covid-19

According to Aged Care Insite, a nurse who attended work at a south-east Melbourne nursing home while infected with Covid-19 has been fined $25,000.

Webinar – aged care COVID-19 update

(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 uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the next webinar will be held on Friday 4 November 2022, 1pm - 2pm (AEDT). In this session you will hear from the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (ANMF) and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on workforce issues in the aged care sector and how you can be prepared to manage COVID-19 impacts and other possible emergency events over the summer period. The Department will also provide advice on preparing for the Christmas period and visitation. Please register to attend.

PPE pre-deployment for residential 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 uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, to help you prepare for summer and any potential outbreaks or waves of COVID-19 over this period, we will be pre-deploying 3 days' supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) to residential aged care homes. Deliveries are expected to commence in early November starting with rural and remote areas.

If you do not want this supply of PPE, let DHL know when they contact you and they will not proceed with the delivery, or you can also let us know via the Citizen Space online form. Facilities that have reported an outbreak or exposure via the My Aged Care provider portal can continue to request standard and emergency PPE packs via the portal.

Reporting all COVID-19 cases and positive resident deaths via the My Aged Care COVID-19 provider portal

(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 uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, to determine the impact of COVID-19, the Department requires residential aged care homes to report all resident, worker and visitor COVID-19 cases through the My Aged Care provider portal. There are a range of materials to assist you with your COVID-19 reporting including:

• A Quick Reference Guide that has step by step instructions and accompanying screen shots.
• A set of Frequently Asked Questions
• A factsheet.

Please call the My Aged Care Provider and Assessor helpline on 1800 836 799 if you need assistance accessing the portal.

Other News

Reporting of aged care residents and aged care staff influenza vaccinations in 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 uploads it to their website.)

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, as a requirement under the Aged Care Act 1997, Accountability Principles, each aged care service needs to report the number of residential aged care 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.

Second raft of reforms pass Senate

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Albanese Government’s second piece of aged care reform legislation has passed through both houses of parliament. Following a successful passage through the House of Representatives on 1 September, the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill passed the Senate on Thursday.

Act now: Financial reporting due soon

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, approved providers must submit their Aged Care Financial Report (ACFR) and their first Quarterly Financial Report (QFR) through the Forms Administration portal by the due date:

• ACFR submissions for the 2021-22 financial year are due by 31 October 2022
• QFR submissions for the first quarter of the 2022-23 financial year are due by 4 November 2022.

A data collection helpdesk is available to assist providers completing financial reports. For help, please call (02) 4403 0640 or email enquiries to health@formsadministration.com.au

Avoid direct employment policy, says PC

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Productivity Commission’s final aged care employment report has found there is “little persuasive evidence” that a policy to preference direct employment over agency staff would benefit the sector – it could even worsen outcomes, the authors warn.

Introducing the SIRS in home services

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, from 1 December 2022, the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) will be extended from residential aged care to home care and flexible care delivered in a home or community setting.

The exposure draft of the subordinate legislation for the scheme’s extension is being developed by the Department of Health and Aged Care. This draft will include details about how the SIRS will apply to home services. Once this draft is available, we will publish a link to it from our National aged care reforms webpage and the provider guidance resources will be released for the sector. If you have any SIRS queries, call us on 1800 081 549 or send us an email at sirs@agedcarequality.gov.au.

New Code of Conduct for Aged Care

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the new Code of Conduct for Aged Care (the Code) aims to improve safety and wellbeing for people receiving aged care and to boost trust in services. Additional information to help the sector prepare for the introduction of the Code is now available.

All aged care workers – including students and volunteers – will soon have an opportunity to learn about the Code in a webinar specifically tailored to their needs:

Date: Friday 11 November
Time: 2:00–3:00 pm AEDT
Registration: Register to attend via this link: Code of Conduct for Aged Care: Aged care worker webinar

Strengthening provider governance

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, we are hosting a webinar for all aged care providers about their new regulatory requirements in relation to governance:

Date: Monday 7 November 2022
Time: 3:00–4:00 pm AEDT
Registration: Register to attend via this link: Strengthening provider governance in aged care – a regulatory perspective webinar

Key update – material changes notification timeframes

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the commencement dates for the provider governance reforms are determined by a provider’s approval date. To assist providers, we have recently updated our Provider governance webpage to provide clarification on these dates.

One reform that will take effect on 1 December 2022 for all aged care providers is the change in material changes notification timeframes. From this date, all providers will be required to notify the Commission of material changes within 14 days of the change. Currently, and up to 30 November 2022, providers are required to notify changes within 28 days. All providers are encouraged to view our Provider governance webpage to ensure they are prepared to implement these reforms as they commence.

Transition care services to be regulated from 1 December

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, legislative amendments are expected to come into effect on 1 December 2022 which will see the regulatory functions for transition care services move to the Commission. These amendments will affect a small number of providers, and the Commission has existing regulatory relationships with most of these services. More information on the amendments will be provided soon on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

The Aged Care Quality Standards are being reviewed, what you need to know

According to Aged Care Guide, the Government is currently "urgently" reviewing the Aged Care Quality Standards from 2019 after identifying it as a key area to fix.

Experts raise ‘significant concerns’ around revised aged care standards

According to Aged Care Insite, aged care experts have raised significant concerns around the language and implementation of measures contained in the government's revised quality standards for the sector.

Webinar: Star Ratings 18 November

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the department is hosting a free webinar at 1pm‑2pm AEDT on Friday 18 November to provide information about the purpose, development and design of Star Ratings. Register for the webinar. Find out more about Star Ratings on the department’s website.

Reminder: Employer Engagement Webinars: Expanding the Aged Care Workforce through Australian Apprenticeships (Traineeships)

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the department is hosting a series of employer engagement webinars, in partnership with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. The session will be held at 12noon-1:30pm AEDT on Wednesday 26 October. Learn about the training pathways and supports available. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions. Register now. If you have any questions or need help with registering, contact AgedCareWorkforceReform@Health.gov.au. The recording and slides from the first webinar, Attracting Workers into Aged Care, are now available.

Legislation

Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022 [CTH] – passed 27.10.22

The Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022 seeks to amend the Aged Care Act 1997 (Aged Care Act) to implement a series of urgent measures that will give older Australians the dignity and respect they deserve. These amendments are intended to enable meaningful, practical improvements to the delivery of aged care services and to provide greater oversight and understanding of what funds are being used for. These measures put the quality of care and safety of older Australians first.