Aged care news highlights from the week ending 4 February 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 Workforce Bonus Payment

According to the Department of Health, the Government announced on 1 February 2022 that an aged care workforce bonus of up to $800 will be paid to eligible aged care staff in Government subsidised home care and residential care. The bonus will be paid in two instalments to care and support workers in home care and to direct care workers, food preparation workers and cleaners in residential care.

The instalments of up to $400 will each be payable to workers employed on 28 February and 28 April. The amount of the bonus will depend on whether the worker is working in home care or residential care and will be prorated based on the highest number of hours worked in a single week out of the four weeks leading up to those dates.

Crisis? What crisis?

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, despite more than 560 aged care deaths – and rising – from COVID-19 since Omicron hit in November last year, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck says the sector is not in crisis.

Waste management in residential aged care facilities (RACFs)

(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, for RACFs managing an outbreak, advice on managing waste is available in the Outbreak management planning in aged care, produced by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and in the ICEG guidance on infection prevention and control for residential care facilities.

Funding for managing waste is available through the COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program Extension Grant, which reimburses providers for additional eligible costs incurred in managing the direct impact of COVID‑19. For more information please see the Grant Opportunity Guidelines (Grant Opportunity – GO4863), including frequently asked questions available on GrantConnect.

Ventilation in RACFs

(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, aged care providers are encouraged to consider ventilation as part of their outbreak planning and response. This should be part of the risk assessment to manage hazards in the facility, including those for workers in line with state based workplace safety requirements.

The following resources provide useful information:

• APPHC statement- Role of ventilation in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19
• Safe Work Australia- Improving ventilation in indoor workplaces
• Department of Health- Minimising the risk of infectious respiratory disease transmission in the context of COVID-19: the hierarchy of controls - An outline of strategies and principles to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Updated July 2021.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission also has a link to advice from the World Health Organisation’s questions and answers on ventilation. Funding to improve air quality and ventilation may be available through the COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program Extension Grant, which reimburses providers for additional eligible costs incurred in managing the direct impacts of COVID‑19.

Planning PPE usage in RACFs

(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 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator is a spreadsheet-based model, that can help facilities plan and optimize the use of PPE in response to COVID-19. The Guidance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers in the context of COVID-19 and appendix 9 and 10 of the CDNA guidelines provide helpful diagrams of what PPE is required in different settings.

RACFs are encouraged to use the calculator, as a useful tool in the management of PPE in response to COVID-19.

Aged Care Emergency and Crisis Management Training Program 2021 - EXTENDED UNTIL 30 JUNE 2022

(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, availability of the online training modules delivered as part of the Aged Care Emergency and Crisis Management Training Program 2021, has been extended until 30 June 2022. The self-paced online modules are available now and are completely free for participants, with over 1110 registrations to date - register here.

SA Health - Updated Direction

(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 Office of Ageing Well, South Australia, has issued the Emergency Management (Residential Aged Care Facilities No 46) (COVID-19) Direction 2022 and the Emergency Management (In-home and Community Aged Care and Disability Support Workers Vaccination No 4) (COVID-19) Direction 2022 replacing the previous directions.

Factsheets are currently being updated and will be available on the SA Health website shortly. Further information about COVID-19 and Aged Care is available on the SA Health website.

How aged care workers can access a priority booster dose

According to the Department of Health, all aged care workers can request a priority booster appointment at:

• State and territory vaccination clinics
• Visiting GPs or pharmacists
• Local health service in-reach vaccination (where available)
• Community pharmacies
• General practices.

If you are a residential aged care worker and your facility has not yet had its on-site booster clinic, workers who are eligible can receive a booster dose at this clinic.

Residential, in-home and community aged care providers required to report on booster vaccinations

According to the Department of Health, it is a mandatory requirement for all residential, in-home and community aged care providers to report each Tuesday via My Aged Care provider portal on workers’ booster doses.

Lack of staff, RATs top provider concerns

According to Community Care Review, staff shortages and a lack of rapid antigen tests are among the top concerns of home care providers, a survey shows.

Other News

Around 500 aged care services fail to meet standards in final six months of 2021 – with two thirds of homes up for reaccreditation in 2022

According to The Weekly Source, over 500 aged care homes and home care services recorded at least one non-compliance against the Aged Care Quality Standards between 1 July 2021 and 30 November 2021, according to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) – and these numbers look set to rise with more providers to face re-accreditation by the regulator in 2022.

New and updated Commission resources

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission:

• New: New consumers and restrictive practices fact sheet
• Updated: Psychotropic medications self-assessment tool template
• New: Psychotropic medication self-assessment tool frequently asked questions
  

Governing and managing the use of high-risk medications

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, a number of aged care residents are prescribed psychotropic medications to assist in managing their behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. There is evidence that some of this prescribing is inappropriate. The Commission has recently updated the Psychotropic self-assessment tool and developed an associated frequently asked questions (FAQs) resource to help providers govern and manage high-risk medications by capturing important information about residents in their care who are prescribed psychotropic medications.

Upcoming changes to the SIRS online reporting form

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, amendments will be made to the My Aged Care Portal from 28 February 2022 to improve the user friendliness of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) online reporting form. Since the introduction of the SIRS in April 2021, a proportion of the notifications submitted by providers have been incomplete or lacking the necessary detail for Commission staff to assess them.

All Priority 1 (P1) incidents must be reported within 24 hours of providers becoming aware of the incident. If the necessary information is not all available at the time of submitting this notification, providers have 5 days to submit further information to the Commission via email at sirs@agedcarequality.gov.au.

A ‘Practical tips for providers’ resource explains what constitutes a quality notification and demonstrates the type of information providers should include when making a P1 notification. A ‘Problem solving approach to enhance effective incident management’ resource is also available to help providers understand the causes of incidents quickly.

Residential aged care providers can register to attend the Commission’s full day online workshop relating to the SIRS. As part of this workshop, participants will take part in practical activities designed to help providers understand SIRS reporting requirements and what constitutes a quality notification. For more information on the SIRS, including access to the decision support tool, visit the Commission’s website.

Inaugural Council of Elders members announced

According to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the Australian Government has recently announced the establishment of new sector governance arrangements, including the appointment of a National Aged Care Advisory Council and an Aged Care Council of Elders.

Legislation

No significant developments this week.