Aged care news highlights from the week ending 4 August 2023, aggregated by Ideagen.

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 Ideagen.

COVID-19 News 

No significant developments this week.

Other News

No pay rise decision until next year

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, aged care workers yet to receive a wage increase will have to wait until next year before they learn whether they too will be included in the deal. While direct care workers and some non-direct care workers received a 15 per cent pay rise in July, many others in the industry didn’t – including administration, maintenance, laundry, cleaning, gardening and catering staff.

Aged care watchdog suffering from staff vacancy

According to Aged Care Insite, an independent review found Australia’s aged care regulator to be suffering from staff vacancy – affecting its ability to keep up with its expanded role in the wake of the Royal Commission.

Upcoming consultation: Foundations of the new Aged Care Act

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, as recommended by the Royal Commission, we are developing a new rights-based Aged Care Act (new Act) which will place the care needs of older Australians at the centre of the aged care system. We will soon open public consultation on the proposed foundations of the new Act. On Friday 4 August, a consultation paper, along with a series of factsheets and a survey will be available on the Aged Care Engagement Hub. Your feedback will inform drafting of the new Act. A webinar will be held on 10 August 2023 to explain the proposed changes and answer your questions. Register for the webinar: Foundations of the new Aged Care Act.

Governing for Reform in Aged Care program - free coaching and group learning

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s Governing for Reform in Aged Care program offers free coaching and Action Learning Groups (ALGs).Visit the Governing for Reform in Aged Care website to learn more about the coaching program and ALG sessions and to apply.

Watch the webinar: Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, on Thursday 15 June, we hosted a joint webinar with the Department of Home Affairs about the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement. Experts provided information about the streamlined process for recruiting qualified care workers from overseas to work in aged care. You can view a recording of the webinar and the presentation slides.

Released: Independent Capability Review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Independent Capability Review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, led by David Tune AO PSM, has been published and is available to read on our website, Final Report – Independent Capability Review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. You can also read a statement from Minister for Aged Care, The Hon Anika Wells MP on the release of the report.

Quarterly Financial Report due 4 August

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, approved providers are reminded to submit their Quarter 4: Quarterly Financial Report through the Forms Administration online portal by Friday 4 August. Providers must ensure that data entered into the Quarterly Financial Statements screen is for the year-to-date. However, data entered on the Residential, Home Care Expenses and Labour Hours, and Food and Nutrition screens, should be for the April-June 2023 quarter only. Read more about the additional information home care providers need to include on wages. Resources to help providers complete their reports are available on our Quarterly Financial Report webpage and the Forms Administration website. A data collection helpdesk is also available. Call (02) 4403 0640 or email enquiries to health@formsadministration.com.au

Approved provider application fees updated for 2023–24

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, in November 2021, the Government authorised the introduction of fees for processing applications for approved provider status. Every year, the Commission is required to review the charging model and fees ahead of the new financial year. We recently released our 2023–24 Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS) following our annual review. There is a small increase in fees this financial year based on indexation. The new fees started from 3 July 2023. You can find more information on our Approved provider application fee webpage.

Code of Conduct banning orders update

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the Code of Conduct for Aged Care has now been in place for almost 8 months. To date, banning orders have been issued to 48 individuals who are prevented from providing any type of aged care for varying periods. We remind all providers to check the banning orders register on our website to see if someone they are looking to employ or engage (including as a volunteer) has been banned from providing aged care. More information is available in our Regulatory Bulletin: Banning orders (RB 2023-17), including the consequences if an individual or provider breaks a banning order.

Strengthening provider governance in aged care

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, changes are being made to enable greater transparency by aged care providers and services. Specifically, residential care, home care and transition care providers are now required to report information on their operations annually to the Department of Health and Aged Care. The reporting period begins on 1 July and ends on 30 June every year. To meet the deadline for submissions, providers need to lodge their information by 31 October. The Stronger provider governance in aged care webpage.

A short primer on star ratings

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, all homes now receive an overall Star Rating on a scale of 1 to 5 stars:

• 1 star means ‘significant improvement needed’
• 2 stars mean ‘improvement needed’
• 3 stars mean an ‘acceptable’ quality of care
• 4 stars mean a ‘good’ quality of care
• 5 stars mean an ‘excellent’ quality of care.

The overall Star Rating is calculated from an aged care home’s ratings across 4 performance sub-categories:

• Residents’ Experience (33% of overall Star Rating) – this rating is based on a survey of 10% of residents about their experiences of the aged care home.
• Compliance (30%) – this rating is based on non-compliance decisions the Commission makes.
• Staffing (22%) – this rating is based on the average amount of care time each resident receives from nursing or personal care staff, compared with the average care targets that the Australian Government sets.
• Quality Measures (15%) – this rating is based on information (quality indicator data reported by providers) about 5 crucial areas of care – falls and major injury, unplanned weight loss, pressure injuries, medication management and the use of physical restraint.

The overall Star Rating is recalculated automatically when new data is available. The Compliance sub-category rating is updated daily, Staffing and Quality Measures 4 times a year and Residents’ Experience once a year. Star Ratings are available through the ‘Find a provider’ tool on the My Aged Care website.

Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the Food, Nutrition and Dining (FND) Hotline went live on Friday 28 July 2023. The FND Hotline can be accessed on 1800 844 044 and will operate from 9am to 5pm AEST, Monday to Friday. Dietitians and speech pathologists from the Commission’s Food, Nutrition and Dining Unit will support our Customer Contact Team in triaging and responding to enquiries received via the Hotline.

Alzheimer’s risk for transgender community

According to Community Care Review, transgender and non-binary older adults may be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, research suggests.

Reforms overlook allied health

According to Community Care Review, the aged care reforms are overly focused on the delivery of nursing care with not enough consideration given to allied health care, said an industry expert.

WA primary health care nurses found to be undervalued

According to Aged Care Insite, Western Australia’s primary health care (PHC) nurses were found to be the most underutilised in Australia. The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) released a survey and found that more than a third of all PHC nurses working in WA were not always utilised.

Home Care News

No significant developments this week.

Legislation

Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Vilification) Bill 2023 [NSW] – passed 3 August 2023

A Bill for an Act to amend the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 to make it unlawful to vilify a person or group of persons on the ground of religious belief or affiliation or religious activity.