Aged care news highlights from the week ending 4 August 2019.

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 and Critical Success Solutions.

Background Paper 7: Legislative framework for Aged Care Quality and Safety regulation

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has released its latest background paper on Australia’s current aged care system. Background Paper 7: Legislative Framework for Aged Care Quality and Safety Regulation, summarises the key aspects and complexities of the current regulation of quality and safety in aged care. The paper details responsibilities and obligations associated with the Aged Care Act and the Charter of Aged Care Rights. It also summarises the scope for the care recipient to make a complaint to the service provider or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner.

Aged care performance statistics now available

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has begun publishing quarterly data highlighting the sector’s regulatory and complaints performance for residential, home care and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services. Data for January – March 2019 is now available and the following quarter’s results will be published shortly. The most frequently not met expected outcomes found in audits against the Accreditation Standards were human resource management, behavioural management, information systems, clinical care and skin care. In the same period, there were 1,633 complaints about residential care, with the most frequently cited issues being: medication management (235), falls prevention and post-fall management (164), personnel number/sufficiency (157), personnel behaviour/conduct (137) and constipation and continence management (115).

Palliative care policy must put consumer voices front and centre, researchers say

According to ABC News, a new review, published in Palliative Medicine, calls for patient and carer voices to be prioritised across the end-of-life sector. The report looked at the extent to which consumers help to inform palliative care services, education, policy and research. Lead author Brett Scholz said despite the philosophy of palliative care being consumer centred — "to give people the best possible death" — the contribution of patient and carer voices to the palliative care sector was limited.

Drug-resistant superbugs lurk ‘within Australia and at our doorstep’, scientists warn

According to the New Daily, a “black hole in surveillance” has left Australia vulnerable to drug-resistant superbugs including typhoid and gonorrhoeae, researchers have warned. There is currently a “large reservoir of antimicrobial resistance” (AMR) both “within Australia and at our doorstep”, the authors of an article published by the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday said. The World Health Organisation describes AMR as “the ability of a micro-organism (like bacteria, viruses, and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working against it. As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.”

Australia needs a national plan to reduce sepsis deaths: researchers

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, it kills an estimated 5000 Australians each year, but only one in seven people can identify the symptoms. A team of experts has called for a nationwide campaign to raise public awareness of the "time-critical medical emergency" of sepsis. In an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday, the team from the George Institute for Global Health at the University of NSW called for better monitoring of sepsis cases and improved support services for survivors of the condition.

Legislation

Nothing new this week.

Resources and Upcoming Conferences

Online resources to help you get to know the Standards & Clinical Governance Resources now Available

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is currently developing two new online solutions to support learning about the new Standards - an online learning portal named ALIS (Aged Care Learning Information Solution) and an app which will be available for download through the App Store and Google Play. ALIS will be available later this year, with initial modules focused on the new Standards. Content is planned to be expanded to help aged care service providers to:

• demonstrate performance against the Aged Care Quality Standards;
• deliver safe and quality care and services; and
• demonstrate tangible positive outcomes for consumers.

The Commission has also released a set of resources to help aged care providers to understand the concept of clinical governance and how this should be applied in their service.

Brisbane Hearing – Regulation of Aged Care – 5-9 August 2019, Brisbane

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will hold a public hearing in Brisbane from Monday 5 August 2019 to Friday 9 August 2019. The hearing will inquire into aspects of the regulation of aged care. The Brisbane Hearing will begin by examining the sudden closure on 11 July 2019 of two residential aged care facilities at Earle Haven Retirement Village, operated by People Care Pty Ltd, located on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Sixty-eight residents, many of them old and frail and some of them living with dementia, were evacuated by State emergency services with most relocated to other residential facilities.

Residential Aged Care Funding Reform – Industry Briefing for Potential Tenderers – 9 August 2019, ACT

The Department of Health and AusTender are now seeking to tenders from residential care providers who wish to participate as delivery partners in the Residential Aged Care Funding Reform Trial. An optional industry briefing for potential Tenderers will be held at 2pm (ACT Local Time) on 9 August 2019 in the Sirius Building, 23 Furzer Street, Woden Town Centre, ACT.

Uploading Data Collection Template: Quick Reference Guide for CHSP providers

The My Aged Care Provider Portal will open from 22 July until 11.59pm AEST 23 October 2019 for Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providers to upload the grandfathered client data collection template. The Department of Health has released a Quick Reference Guide that explains how to upload the data collection template into the My Aged Care Provider Portal and select the services each client receives.

Royal Commission into Aged Care – Community Forum – 12 August 2019, Adelaide

According to the Royal Commission into Aged Care, a community forum will be held in Adelaide. Commissioner, The Honourable Richard Tracey AM RFD QC will attend.

Location: Adelaide Town Hall, Auditorium, 128 King William Street, Adelaide SA 5000

Date: Monday, 12 August 2019

Time: 1:30pm to 4:00pm

There will be a chance to give written feedback to the Commission and to talk to Commission staff. A limited number of people will be able to give a brief statement. If you would like to do so please let us know when you register. Guidelines will be provided to all registered speakers.

Quality in Aged Care National Conference – 26-29 August 2019, Sydney

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Quality in Aged Care Conference running in Sydney from the 26th – 29th August is once again brought to you in partnership with COTA Australia and ACSA. Following a gathering of over 200 leaders at the previous in March 2019, this next conference offers insights into the next chapter of aged care reform. It is a critical opportunity for all providers of aged care services to learn from industry leaders, peak bodies and legislators and prepare their organisations for some of the biggest challenges facing the industry, including the Royal Commission and the new standards.

Crossing the Chasm - From Compliance to Innovative Dining Solutions – Webinar – 29 August 2019

According to Winc, a poor meal and dining experience can not only have a detrimental impact on a resident’s emotional well-being but it can also lead to malnutrition resulting in increased risk of falls, illness, injury, reduced quality of life and premature death. In this webinar, Jo Cleary will discuss her solutions of how we can address this issue and better utilise food and labour resources. She’ll include novel and practical solutions that you can implement immediately.

Living and Ageing Well Conference – 17 September 2019, Grand Hyatt Melbourne

According to Pearson Clinical Assessment, the overarching goal of clinical intervention when working with older people, regardless of diagnosis, is to improve the person’s quality of life. Whether you work with older adults in their own home and community, in a hospital, outpatient setting or in a residential aged care facility, there are strategies you could be using in your interventions to further enhance your clients’ quality of life. At this conference, we’ll share valuable insights and strategies from industry experts. And we’ll workshop tools designed to help you apply holistic care to older adults with a range of diagnoses, across many settings, with a goal of improving the quality of life for older adults.

ACSA National Summit – 8-10 October 2019, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) is hosting the 2019 ACSA National Summit, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), 8–10 October 2019. The 2019 ACSA National Summit will bring together thought leaders and innovators – both local and international – to discuss hot topics, challenges and opportunities, workshopping together to uncover solutions to some of the aged care industry’s biggest challenges.