Aged care news highlights from the week ending 29 October 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

COVID-19 vaccine booster program in residential aged care

According to the Department of Health, the Australian Government ‘s national in-reach clinic program for booster doses to residential aged care facilities will roll out from Monday 8 November 2021.

The Australian Government has announced that boosters are now available for people who have completed their primary course of a COVID-19 vaccination more than six months ago, including residents and workers in residential aged care.

This follows recommendations by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the expert Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on COVID-19 booster vaccinations. Please refer to ATAGI recommendations on the use of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The expert advice is that people are eligible for a booster vaccination if they completed their second dose of a primary course more than six months ago. A primary course for COVID-19 vaccination is two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for most people.

The Australian Government will be rolling out an in-reach clinic program for booster doses to residential aged care facilities. The Department will convene a special live webinar on Wednesday 3 November 2021 from 1.30pm – 2.30pm AEDT to discuss the planned roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine booster program for residents and workers. This webinar is open to providers, facility managers and IPC leads, residents and their families, friends and representatives, and residential aged care workers.

Other News

Providers operating $2m in the red

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care providers on average made an operating loss of $2.1 million last financial year, which is an improvement on the previous year, an aged care finance forum has heard. Benchmarking firm StewartBrown hosted the 2021 Aged Care Finance Forum last week to share the results of the 2020-2021 Aged Care Financial Performance Survey.

Major workforce changes needed by 2023, experts warn

According to Aged Care Insite, only 3.8 per cent of Australian residential aged care homes are on track to meet the government’s new staffing standards set for 2023, a new study has found. As part of the federal response to the royal commission, providers must ensure that residents receive at least 200 minutes of care per day, with 40 minutes of care given by a registered nurse.

Upskilling staff more cost-effective than recruiting new

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care providers should focus on developing its existing workforce including creating more full-time roles rather than constantly recruiting part-time staff, an aged care workforce expert has told an online forum. Macquarie University in partnership with the University of New South Wales’ Social Policy Research Centre hosted a forum on Tuesday on the aged care workforce.

Behaviour, falls top causes of adverse events

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, behaviour-related harm is almost as likely to contribute to adverse events in aged care facilities as falls, indicating it is an overlooked indicator of quality care, Macquarie University research has found. The three-year study linked data from medical and care records of 11,987 residents from 72 aged care facilities in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to identify the types and rates of adverse events in residential aged care facilities.

Trauma training program piloted for NSW care workers

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the NSW government will pilot a trauma training program to help aged, disability and community services workers support the people they work with and look after their own mental health. It comes amid growing demand for trauma training and the release of a federal government COVID-19 grief and trauma response package.The program will be delivered through Training Services NSW, TAFE NSW and industry leaders and will initially train more than 100 people via a blended delivery model.

Updates to the My Aged Care website

According to the Department of Health, the My Aged Care website has been updated to better support senior Australians to learn about, apply for and compare aged care services.

The new features published in October include:

• A new ‘Where to start?’ section, which provides links to key tools and information on care options, eligibility and costs to help senior Australians prepare to apply for an assessment.
• A Help Explorer tool providing stories about people who have accessed aged care to help senior Australians and their carers learn about the types of aged care services available.
• Improvements to the ‘Find a provider tool’ to help senior Australians and carers shortlist and compare up to eight providers for Aged Care Homes and Home Care Packages.

Find out more on the My Aged Care website.

Emergency planning for major weather events

According to the Department of Health, the high risk season for major Australian weather events and bushfires is approaching. All aged care providers should be well prepared and able to respond to emergency events affecting their service.

Service providers play a vital role in preparing their sites, staff and clients for the threat of bushfire and other weather emergencies in their local area. Providers should:

• contact your local fire authority to discuss bushfire implications and requirements
• have updated daily lists of all onsite residents
• have an evacuation plan including arrangements for transport and alternative accommodation for different scenarios (e.g. only your facility, or all facilities, in the region are affected), and provision for care recipient identification and care-plan documents.

Visit the department’s website for resources to help your emergency planning.

New online course for clinicians to support culturally responsive practice

According to the Department of Health, Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt has launched the Culturally Responsive Practice with Older People in Health and Aged Care online course. It outlines appropriate clinical practice for working with senior Australians from CALD backgrounds.

The course is for clinicians and health practitioners working in aged care and health care settings.

Culturally responsive practice is part of the Aged Care Quality Standards, in particular, Standard 1. Participation in this training demonstrates a commitment to a key action under the Actions to Support Older CALD People: a Guide for Aged Care Providers action plan. It may also attract Continuing Professional Development for participants.

You can visit myauslearning.org.au for more information.

Reminder: How to charge accommodation contributions

According to the Department of Health, residential providers have legislative obligations when charging accommodation contributions. Services Australia will tell you the maximum daily accommodation contribution (DAC) for a resident. However, the maximum DAC advised by Services Australia may be higher than the amount you can ask the resident to pay.

The DAC payable for a day cannot exceed:

• the amount advised by Services Australia based on the resident’s means tested amount; or
• the accommodation supplement applicable to your service for the day.

The accommodation supplement applicable to your service can change over time. You may need to adjust a resident’s DAC if the ratio of low means or supported residents in your service changes.

If a resident chooses to pay by a combination of lump sum and DAC, you must calculate a reduced DAC. It is your responsibility to ensure residents are not charged more than they should be. Learn more on the department’s website.

Refundable Accommodation Deposit Support Loan Program extended to 1 December

According to the Department of Health, applications for funding support under the Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) Support Loan Program have been extended to 1 December 2021.

Due to the significant impact of COVID‑19 and lower occupancy rates, residential aged care providers can apply for a zero-interest loan to refund RADs without triggering an insolvency event.

To be eligible for funding, approved providers must:

• have had or expect liquidity to fall below the relevant threshold (see program guidelines)
• be able to repay funds loaned, and
• not be able to access sufficient commercial or alternative financing.

More information about how to apply is available on the RAD Support Loan Program webpage.

Telehealth counselling valuable, early findings show

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a national telehealth counselling program is proving to be effective in supporting aged care residents and staff during the coronavirus pandemic. The Swinburne Wellbeing Clinic for Older Adults launched a free telehealth counselling and support service program to provide emotional support to aged care residents, families and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Report uncovers harassment and choking death at NT Regis Tiwi aged care home

According to ABC News, a new report has revealed significant breaches of care and quality standards at a Darwin nursing home, including incidents of residents being harassed and inadequate care that resulted in a choking death.

Legislation

Advance Care Directives (Review) Amendment Bill 2021 (No. 173 of 2021) [SA] – introduced 28 Oct 2021

The Advance Care Directives (Review) Amendment Bill 2021 (the draft Bill) proposes amendments to the Advance Care Directives Act 2013 (the Act).

An Advance Care Directive is a legal document that empowers South Australians to record their values and wishes and make clear legal arrangements for future health care, end of life, preferred living arrangements and other personal matters.

The Review of the Act was conducted by Professor Wendy Lacey in 2019. During the Review, Professor Lacey consulted extensively

with interested organisations, persons and professions; as well as members of the community. The Review made 29 recommendations and was tabled in Parliament on 1 August 2019. The South Australian Government’s Response to the Review was tabled in Parliament on 23 July 2020 and supported, in full or in principle, 22 of the recommendations, with further consultation proposed to inform the Government’s response to Recommendation 29.

Accordingly, the draft Bill was prepared to implement those recommendations supported by the Government that require a legislative amendment to the Act.