Major Aged Care Reforms in 2024: What to expect
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Weekly Wrap 6 July 2021

6/07/21
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Aged care news highlights from the week ending 6 July 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 Vaccination to become mandatory for Residential aged care workers

According to the Department of Health, on Monday, National Cabinet agreed that the COVID-19 vaccination of residential aged care workers will become mandatory by mid-September 2021. Residential aged care workers must have received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by this time.

The requirement will be a condition of working in an aged care facility through shared state, territory and Commonwealth authorities and compliance measures. The mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of residential aged care workers will be introduced in partnership with state and territories using existing mechanisms.

Residential aged care workers will be supported to be vaccinated through an $11 million program to enable them to attend off-site vaccination centres and general practices. Under the Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Support Grant, residential aged care facilities will be paid for the following three categories of eligible expenditure:

  • Casual staff going off-site for vaccination – a flat fee of $80 payable per staff member, per dose;
  • Paid leave for casual staff who become unwell after vaccination and do not have other leave entitlements – one day’s paid leave (at a rate of $185); and
  • Facilitation of off-site vaccination for employees – up to $500 per site in flexible vaccination facilitation costs per site, which may be used for activities like: transport services, arranging groups of staff to be vaccinated and or any other reasonable expenses that support staff to get vaccinated.

Throughout the aged care roll out, workers have been able to receive a COVID-19 vaccination at in-reach clinics where doses are available following vaccination of residents. In addition, workers have been and continue to be able to get vaccinated at state and territory vaccination clinics, Commonwealth vaccination clinics, general practices and on-site vaccination clinics.

Going forward, residential aged care workers will be offered the Pfizer vaccine through all in reach and on site clinics. Aged care workers accessing a COVID-19 vaccination through off-site clinics will also be offered Pfizer once it is available – this includes through GPs and Commonwealth vaccination clinics. In greater Sydney, Pfizer vaccines are already available through dedicated Pfizer aged care hubs located in Blacktown, Campbelltown and Macquarie Park.

In New South Wales and Victoria, workers can access a COVID-19 vaccination through the Commonwealth’s roving clinics. These clinics are returning to aged care facilities, which have already received in-reach clinics, to offer a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination to residents and workers not yet vaccinated in 18 Local Government Areas in Greater Sydney and all Tier 1 locations in Victoria, as defined by Victorian health authorities.

Further information on the above will shortly be available on health.gov.au.

 

Vaccination remains voluntary for home care workers

According to Community Care Review, home care workers will not be subject to mandatory vaccination requirements despite the government’s announcement that all residential aged care workers will have to get a jab if they want to keep working.

 

QLD Health - visitor restrictions to RACFs to remain in place

(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 advise that the three-day lockdown will end this evening for Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Gold Coast, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Townsville and Palm Island. Lockdown will continue until 6:00pm Saturday 3 July 2021 for the Brisbane City Council and the Moreton Bay regions, with any new case numbers to be revised overnight.

Please note that visitor restrictions for residential aged care in South East Queensland, Townsville and Palm Island will continue for the next two weeks.

Further information on restrictions for aged care can be found here.

 

NT Health - visitor restrictions to RACFs to remain in place

(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 Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner has ended the lockdowns in Greater Darwin and Alice Springs but several restrictions, including the visitor restrictions to residential aged care facilities, will remain in place until further advised.

This information can change rapidly so please check the NT Health website regularly for updates. A 24-hour hotline has been established by NT Health to provide information about the lockdown arrangements, call 1800 193 111.

Who to notify if you have a confirmed case

(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, you must contact your state or territory public health unit immediately to report positive COVID-19 cases in either staff members or care recipients.

  • Australian Capital Territory – (02) 5124 9213 After Hours: 02 9962 4155
  • New South Wales – 1300 066 055
  • Northern Territory – 08 8922 8044
  • Queensland – 13 432 584 (13 HEALTH)
  • South Australia – 1300 232 272
  • Tasmania – 1800 671 738
  • Victoria – 1300 651 160
  • Western Australia – 08 9222 8588 or 08 6373 2222 (if confirmed COVID-19)

All aged care providers should also immediately notify positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test results by email to the Australian Department of Health: agedcareCOVIDcases@health.gov.au.

 

New: Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Support Grant

(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 department invites applications from approved providers of residential aged care to support the COVID-19 vaccination of all staff within a residential aged care facility. The Australian Government is supporting all residential aged care workers to be vaccinated through an $11 million grant program to enable them to attend off-site vaccination centres and general practices.

The grant program will contribute towards costs incurred by eligible residential aged care providers supplying or facilitating COVID-19 vaccinations for staff. Providers can apply for financial support in any or all of the following three categories:

  • Category 1: payment for each casual staff member’s off-site vaccination (maximum of 2 doses/payments per casual staff member). This payment is a contribution towards the time casual staff are absent from the facility to receive their COVID-19 vaccination at an off-site vaccination clinic; and/or
  • Category 2: one day of paid leave for casual staff (not eligible for entitlements) receiving an on or off-site vaccination, who were rostered on for a shift within 24 -48 hrs after receiving a vaccination, but suffered side effects from the vaccination and were unable to attend work for this reason; and/or
  • Category 3: facilitation of either on or off-site vaccinations for all staff (e.g. transport costs or arranging for groups of staff to be vaccinated off-site).

Providers must ensure payments received under categories one and two are provided to casual staff members in full.

Eligible staff members include:

  • Categories 1, 2 and 3: casual staff for whom the residential aged care facility is their primary place of work in the aged care sector and have been rostered on in the preceding four weeks, unless they were on annual or sick leave.
  • Category 3: all staff directly employed by the Provider.

Providers are able to apply for multiple residential aged care facilities in one online application form. The online application form will require Providers to indicate, for each residential aged care facility, which categories they require support from and the number of staff and facilities. Providers may claim costs incurred under the categories 1 and 2 between 1 March and 29 October 2021.

The grant round is open until 2.00pm AEST, Friday 29 October 2021. The Grant Guidelines and application form are available on GrantConnect.

 

Only 15 per cent of residential care workers, 4 per cent of home care staff vaccinated: Colbeck

According to Aged Care Insite, the government's handling of the vaccination rollout in aged care came under scrutiny again in the last sitting week of parliament before the winter break. Aged care services Minister Richard Colbeck revealed that only 4 per cent of home care workers have been fully vaccinated.

 

Emergency leave for aged care residents extended to 30 June 2022

According to the Department of Health, Minister Colbeck has announced an extension to the emergency leave provision for permanent aged care residents for a further 12 months, until 30 June 2022. This will allow aged care residents to continue to take emergency leave during unpredictable COVID-19 outbreaks, rather than using and potentially exhausting their social leave entitlements.

 

COVID-19 news: two Sydney hospital workers test positive, aged care sector caught off guard by vaccine news

According to Aged Care Insite, more than 100 patients and staff have been forced into isolation after an unvaccinated student nurse worked for several days across two Sydney hospitals while infected with Covid-19.

 

 

Other News

 

GPs to be incentivised to work in aged care

According to Aged Care Insite, GPs will receive double the yearly payment to treat aged care residents as part of a government move to improve the health of older Australians. GPs will be incentivised to make more visits to people living in residential aged care as part of a $42.8 million investment which was announced as part of the budget. It will come into force from July 1.

 

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Bulletin – June 2021

This edition of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s Bulletin covers:

  • Is your outbreak communication plan up to date?
  • SIRS insights – valuable provider roundtable feedback and first Commission report
  • New SIRS modules now available in Alis
  • Amendments to restrictive practices legislation
  • Guidance materials available for upcoming Quality Indicator Program changes
  • Updates from the Chief Clinical Advisor
  • Recent aged care and NDIS worker screening requirements changes
  • New online education workshops now open for registrations
  • New and updated Commission resources

Loan program to help repay RADs opens July

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Federal Government is offering up to $128 million in zero-interest loans to help struggling residential aged care providers pay back resident accommodation bonds without risking financial ruin.

 

July 2021 indexation: Updated Schedules, Quarterly Review and increase to MPIR

According to the Department of Health, an update of the Schedules for residential and home care fees and charges and subsidies and supplements will take effect from 1 July 2021. The new Schedules are now available on the department’s website.

Schedules of Fees and Charges

View the updated Schedule of Fees and Charges for:

Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements

View the updated Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements.

Quarterly Review

Services Australia’s Quarterly Review of fees and charges for all care recipients will be effective from 1 July 2021. Further information on this review was provided in the Aged Care Sector Newsletter #10.

Increase to MPIR from 1 July 2021

The MPIR will increase to 4.04% for the period from 1 July to 30 September 2021 for calculating:

  • accommodation prices
  • interest on refunds of accommodation lump sum balances

View current and past rates of the MPIR.  

Providers must ensure:

  • their published accommodation prices on the My Aged Care website are up to date. If you have any questions, contact the My Aged Care service provider and assessor helpline on1800 836 799.
  • the accommodation prices published on their own website and in relevant written materials are up to date.

2021 Basic Daily Fee Supplement

According to the Department of Health, the new Australian Government 2021 basic daily fee supplement (the supplement) will be paid to eligible residential and respite aged care services, and flexible care services that are multi-purpose services. The new supplement is an additional $10 per day, per resident. The supplement is available to approved providers who formally agree (via an undertaking) and submit quarterly reports. The new supplement supports aged care providers to deliver better care and services to residents, with a focus on food and nutrition.

What you need to do now

To receive the new basic daily fee supplement, approved providers need to:

  • formally undertake to deliver good quality and quantity of goods and services
  • meet the living needs of residents, with a focus on food and nutrition
  • submit quarterly reports

The undertaking must be signed by the approved provider’s authorised person. It is expected that this person will be a key personnel representative, as defined by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 section 8B (1) (a), 1(b), 2(a) and 2(b). Download the undertaking form and email the completed, signed form to BDFundertaking@health.gov.au.  

1 July 2021: submissions of formal undertaking opens

21 July 2021: deadline for submitting the undertaking to receive payments from 1 July 2021

What you will report

Approved providers who have formally agreed, must report quarterly on food and nutrition expenditure, and quality of daily living services. Information on the quarterly reporting requirements is now available on the department's website.

21 October 2021: deadline for submitting the first quarterly report

Reporting has been designed to collect important information about daily living services (with a focus on food and nutrition) while minimising administration for providers. 

Information and support

Visit the department's website for more information on the basic daily fee, reporting requirements and support.

 

Legislation

 

Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 1) Act 2021 [CTH] – commenced 1 July 2021

The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No.1) Bill 2021 will make urgent amendments to the Aged Care Act 1997 (Aged Care Act) and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 (Quality and Safety Commission Act) to implement three measures in response to recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (Royal Commission), and in the case of restrictive practices, in response to the Independent Review of Legislation Provisions Governing the use of Restraint in Residential Aged Care. These legislative amendments deliver the first stage of aged care reform developed to respond to the Royal Commission’s final report, Final Report: Care, Dignity and Respect (final report).

The purpose of Schedule 1 of the Bill is to amend the Aged Care Act and the Quality and Safety Commission Act to further strengthen legislation on the use of restrictive practices in aged care.

Schedule 2 of the Bill amends the Aged Care Act to allow the Secretary to conduct reviews (assurance reviews) to assure the arrangements for the delivery and administration of home care are effective and efficient. Assurance reviews will inform the continuous improvement of home care policy and the education of approved providers in relation to home care and home care services.

Schedule 3 of the Bill removes the requirement for the Minister for Aged Care to establish a committee known as the Aged Care Financing Authority.

 

Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Quality Indicator Program) Principles 2021 [CTH] – commenced 1 July 2021

This instrument amends the Accountability Principles 2014 and the Records Principles 2014 to update the definition of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program Manual.

 

Aged Care (Leave from Residential Care Services) (Situation of Emergency—Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Amendment Determination 2021 [CTH]     - commenced 29 June 2021

This instrument amends the Aged Care (Leave from Residential Care Services) (Situation of Emergency—Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Determination 2020 to extend the period of the situation of emergency, effectively making emergency leave available to all aged care residents throughout Australia until 30 June 2022.

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ACE Editorial Team

ACE is published by Ideagen. CompliSpace is Ideagen’s SaaS-enabled solution that helps organisations in highly-regulated industries to meet their governance, risk, compliance and policy management obligations.

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