Aged care news highlights from the week ending 7 July 2023, 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 the Department of Health and Aged Care, the updated Sector Code for Visiting in Aged Care Homes version 7.2 (the Code)
Further information on the rights of care recipients to continue to have access to visitors is available on OPAN's website.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Department of Health and Aged Care along with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have training available for approved aged care providers and employees of approved providers. It covers the fundamentals of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.
Users can access the training at the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s aged care learning information system (Alis). If you’re an approved provider, or work for an approved provider, you can access Alis for free. You can sign up or log in to Alis at: learning.agedcarequality.gov.au. If you experience any difficulties with accessing the platform, please contact the Commission by emailing education@agedcarequality.gov.au.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care:
Q 1 - Do staff and residents still need to isolate for 7 days and will this be changed?
Current clinical advice, including the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) Guidance, is that residents who test positive to COVID-19 should be isolated within the aged care service in line with IPC best practice but should not be isolated for any longer than is considered clinically necessary. For residents, the period of isolation is seven days from the date of a positive test, or until all symptoms have resolved.
All aged care workers should not attend work, and should stay at home, if they have respiratory symptoms to help prevent the spread of infection. Workers who test positive for COVID-19 should not attend the workplace for at least 7 days or until symptoms have gone.
Question 2 - What is the advice for aged care workers that are close contacts?
If you are a close contact, you should monitor for signs and symptoms and get tested, via RAT and you should continue to follow COVIDSafe behaviours like doing regular RAT tests, wearing masks indoors, washing hands frequently, staying home if unwell or COVID-19 positive. Workers who test positive for COVID-19 should not attend the workplace for at least 7 days or until they no longer have symptoms, including those who provide close personal care to older people in their homes or the community.
Question 3 - We recently had a large outbreak which also impacted staff so we did PCR testing on any staff with symptoms. Unfortunately those staff have received invoices from pathology (close to $100 each). As testing was time critical we couldn't wait for staff to see their own GP for a pathology referral. Is there a solution moving forward?
Bulk-billed COVID-19 PCR testing under Medicare is only available where the PCR test has been requested by a GP or nurse practitioner (treating practitioner) to assist with the clinical management of their patient. COVID-19 PCR testing performed without a request from a treating practitioner will incur a cost that will need to be covered by the patient or the employer of the worker.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the 1st of July was D-day for the aged care sector as a number of major changes came into play, including a wage increase for workers and 24/7 onsite nursing in residential care.
According to Aged Care Insite, more than 250,000 aged care workers in Australia are set to receive a 15 per cent wage increase. after the government allocated $11.3 billion to fund pay rises in its federal budget. The increase applies to direct care aged care workers and some senior roles in residential and home care settings, which come into effect from the first full pay period on or after June 3 2023.
According to SMH, major aged care providers have told my colleague Natassia Chrysanthos that those who can afford it should pay more for their care, and warned any new tax must be fair to younger Australians. I agree with those providers. To show you why, we need to take a look at how the system is currently funded.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, almost all aged care leaders taking part in an industry survey say the sector’s funding is inadequate but only half think more opportunities to boost user pay revenue in accommodation and services is the solution.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, this year’s NAIDOC Week pays tribute to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and celebrates the role they have played and continue to play in Indigenous communities.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Government Provider Management System (GPMS) portal makes it easier for providers to access and report information. From 3 July, approved providers of residential aged care and home care packages will use GPMS for Quality Indicators, Provider Operations and 24/7 registered nurse responsibility reporting. Due dates are set out below.
To login to GPMS, or to learn more about what you need to do, please visit Government Provider Management System. Please note, provider reporting is mandatory and a regulatory requirement for compliance and payments. If you need assistance, please contact the My Aged Care Service Provider and Assessor Helpline on 1800 836 799, 8am‑8pm Monday to Friday and 10am‑2pm on Saturday, across Australia.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, consultation on the new model for regulating aged care closed on Friday 23 June.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, from 1 July 2023, residential aged care facilities must have at least one registered nurse (RN) on-site and on duty at all times. Providers can make sure their processes and teams are ready for this new responsibility by completing the 24/7 registered nurse responsibility provider readiness checklist.
The first 24/7 RN report is due by Government Provider Management System (GPMS). Providers need to log on to GPMS to report. Eligible providers that do not report for a facility will not receive the facility’s 24/7 RN supplement for that month. More information:
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, grant round 2 for adoption of the Electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) is now open. Up to $20,000 is available to help with adoption costs for eligible residential aged care services, MPS and NATSIFAC services providing residential aged care. Find more information on the eNRMC Transitional Arrangement and the grant opportunity on the department’s website or GrantConnect.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, a hotelling supplement of $10.80 per resident per day for approved residential aged care providers began on 1 July 2023. Eligible providers do not need to apply for the supplement. Services Australia will automatically pay it monthly with other residential aged care subsidies and supplements. The hotelling supplement will be indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year. Multi-Purpose Service providers will continue to receive separate basic daily fee supplement equivalent amounts (as they are not eligible for the hotelling supplement). More information:
For any questions, contact subsidiesandsupplements@health.gov.au.
According to Hospital and Healthcare, poor work relationships and unmanageable demands on healthcare workers in NSW have prompted the industry to trial work design strategies that improve workers’ mental health and wellbeing.
According to Aged Care Insite, the Australian Primary Heath Care Nurses Association (APNA) has stationed its first 76 student nurses in aged care homes to complete their clinical placements.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, food and dining are important in aged care homes, as they affect your health and quality of life. As a person living in residential aged care, you should know what you can expect from your food and dining experience. The Commission’s new Food, Dining and Nutrition resources aims to help you enjoy food and dining in aged care.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providers can now submit their 2023 wellness and reablement reporting via a survey on the Citizen Space Portal. CHSP providers must complete the survey by
If you have any questions, please contact your Funding Arrangement Manager or email wellnessandreablement@health.gov.au.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the 2023-24 Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) manual is now available on the department’s website. The 2023-24 CHSP manual provides up-to-date information on the program, including:
Find a summary of the changes in the manual’s quick reference guide.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Home Care Workforce Support Program aims to attract, train and retain new and existing personal care workers in the home care workforce. Based on feedback from the sector, the program has recently been expanded. From 1 June 2023, these new changes include providing:
Providers looking to grow their workforce or workers looking for employment can connect with an organisation in their state or territory. More information about the Home Care Workforce Support Program is available on the department’s website.
According to Community Care Review, there’s an urgent need to support pet ownership for older Australians who choose to live independently, says a new survey.
This instrument amends the Accountability Principles 2014 and the Information Principles 2014 to specify the information the Secretary must make publicly available in relation to aged care services.
This Instrument increases the amount of subsidies and supplements payable to approved aged care providers, increases income thresholds for home care subsidy reductions, and increases the maximum daily prices for home care management and package management. In addition to normal indexation, this Instrument also increases residential care and home care basic subsidies by additional amounts.
This instrument amends the Information Principles 2014, Quality of Care Principles 2014 and the Accountability Principles 2014 to provide for the granting of exemptions from the responsibility to provide a registered nurse 24/7 at all residential aged care facilities. This instrument also introduces new reporting requirements for certain approved providers to provide the Secretary with reports and further information requested by the Secretary.
This instrument amends the Subsidy Principles 2014, Aged Care (Subsidy, Fees and Payments) Determination 2014, Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Principles 2014 and Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) (Subsidy and Other Measures) Determination 2014 to provide for amounts for the new hotelling supplements and registered nurse support supplements updated for subsidies payable from 1 July 2023, and a per resident per day additional sum to rectify calculations for flexible care anomalies for 3 small facilities.