Aged care news highlights from the week ending 30 March 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.
According to Community Care Review, the government will provide almost $20 million of additional CHSP funding for tailored centre-based respite care for culturally and linguistically diverse older Australians. The announcement comes after the aged care royal commission said in its final report that the availability and quality of respite care is often lacking. Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck says the funding, amounting to $9.67 million a year for two years, will help senior Australians from culturally diverse communities live independently in their own homes by giving carers a break.
(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, residential aged care facilities (including MPS and NATSIFACP services) are required to have Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) leads in each residential aged care facility.
As a part of this ongoing requirement, IPC leads must be appropriately trained. This includes completing:
our COVID-19 infection control online training modules, specifically:
Providers are expected to support IPC leads to quickly complete this training, including through appropriate study leave.
Providers need to report all training information to the department. Residential and MPS providers should report through the My Aged Care provider portal and keep the information up to date. This means confirming completion of both the online modules by ticking ‘Yes’ and changing the completion status of the specialist training to ‘Completed’ once the IPC lead has submitted the coursework and assessments. NATSIFAC providers need to report using the IPC lead notification form.
For further information on IPC leads visit the department’s website.
(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 Queensland Government has updated their advice to Aged Care Providers in Queensland (Aged Care Direction No. 25).
From 12pm 19 March 2021:
Aged Care Providers are reminded to continue to stay up to date with advice and Directions on the QLD Health website and to check for these updates regularly.
According to Hospital and Healthcare, countries that have opted to pause the AstraZeneca vaccine amid unsubstantiated blood clotting fears are actively choosing to end lives, according to Professor Bruce Thompson, from the School of Health Sciences at Swinburne University. The three categories of COVID-19 vaccine currently in circulation, globally, have claimed zero lives to date — despite upwards of 400 million doses having been administered. Meanwhile, the mortality rate for COVID-19 is sitting at around 3.4%. The decision to pause the vaccine rollout — taken by several European countries earlier this month — was based on an unsubstantiated belief that AstraZeneca’s vaccine may be linked to deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This was after several DVT cases emerged among the 90 million-strong vaccine recipient population.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, more than four in five aged care residents are at risk of serious illness or death if they contract COVID-19 while half of residents are in higher danger due to having two or more risk factors, a University of South Australia study has found. Males, increasing age and people with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are identified as more vulnerable to poor outcomes from COVID-19 and more than one of these conditions increases the risks.
According to Inside Ageing, an Australian serious incident mandatory reporting scheme for abuse and psychological harm – including from other residents – will take effect from April 1. The SIRS legislation requires providers of residential care or flexible care to manage incidents and take “reasonable steps” to prevent them. Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the Press Club today aged care would be a key issue in this year’s budget. “This year’s budget we will deliver the government’s response to the Aged Care Royal Commission’s final report,” Mr Morrison said. “The key focus of our response to the final report will be growing and upskilling the aged care workforce. Workforce challenges are some of the biggest challenges Australia faces economically.”
The Department of Health has today made the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) tile on the My Aged Care Provider Portal available for providers to preview ahead of the SIRS commencement on 1 April 2021. This is intended to help providers familiarise themselves with the reporting requirements.
Providers should make sure enough staff have access to the portal to submit reports on time. For information on accessing the My Aged Care Provider Portal, including easy-to-use guides, visit the department’s website.
(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 New South Wales (NSW) Government has updated advice for residential aged care facilities (RACFs) and home care services in NSW, effective 20 March 2021.
The key updates include:
Further information on the updated advice for RACFs can be found here and information for home care services can be found here.
Aged care providers are reminded to stay up to date with advice and Directions on the NSW Government website and to check for these updates regularly.
NSW Flooding and Severe Weather
The Australian Government Department of Health is encouraging all residential aged care providers to ensure they visit the relevant NSW websites for the latest information on the severe weather and flooding impacting NSW.
All residential aged care providers should ensure their contingency planning is up to date, considering the current situation and to keep up to date with evacuation orders from NSW authorities.
Further information on Australian Government disaster assistance can be found here.
(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, in February 2020 the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck, tasked the Aged Care Financing Authority (ACFA) to undertake an analysis on the role of Refundable Accommodation Deposits (RADs) in the market currently. This study also included the impact of RADs on the sector and consideration as to what their role, and the settings, should be into the future.
ACFA commissioned the Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy (MUCHE) to undertake research and market surveys to assist with the project. The MUCHE provided its report to ACFA in December 2020. ACFA subsequently provided its final report, along with the MUCHE report, to the Minister on 25 February 2021.
The ACFA report and the MUCHE report are available on the department’s website.
According to Hospital and Healthcare, projections forecast that one million Australians will have dementia by 2056 — more than double current figures for the condition. In light of this estimation, Dr Terence Chong, psychiatrist and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and colleagues have highlighted that dementia prevention needs to be Australia’s next public health area of focus.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council has launched a series of short videos promoting aged care roles and careers as part of a sector-wide recruitment drive. The federally funded “Bring Your Thing” campaign, which launched on Tuesday, highlights the diverse range of skills and professions in aged care, such as support workers, chefs, care managers, maintenance staff, volunteers, team leaders and social coordinators.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care stakeholders are encouraged to take up the national medicine educator’s free education program to support residential aged care nurses and pharmacists to improve dementia care. NPS MedicineWise has developed the dementia education program to help participants learn more about person-centred care approaches and reconsider the use of psychotropic medications.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the aged care workforce needs digital health and technology specialists to support providers to implement recommended technology reforms, an industry conference has heard. Australasian Institute of Digital Health CEO Dr Louise Schaper said the aged care sector must learn from the health care sector and take a strategic approach to implementing technology.
A Private Member's Bill to amend the Aged Care Act 1997 to require residential aged care providers to give an annual financial transparency report to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, who would then make them public. The Bill also amends the Corporations Act 2001 to ensure residential aged care providers include detailed financial information in their annual financial statements. This Bill was removed from Parliament and will not become law.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, with the imminent release of the Royal Commission into Quality and Safety in Aged Care, providers are at a critical turning point. Now is the time to carve out a new way forward to better support older Australians and their families, while ensuring a strong and sustainable industry.
Designed in partnership with COTA and ACSA, the Governance in Aged Care: Beyond the Royal Commission conference brings together experts, advocates and leaders from across Australia to unpack the Final Report and tackle the biggest issues for effective governance. The conference is taking place online, on 14th & 15th April 2021.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
Issued by the Department of Health, this infographic outlines the 6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care.
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: