Month: April 2016

From the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency:

Nominations for this year’s Quality Agency Better Practice Awards will open on 1st May and close on the 31st May 2016. We invite nominations from home care and residential aged care providers.

Central to our role in promoting high quality care, the Quality Agency provides a comprehensive program of information, education and training to the aged care sector throughout Australia. Innovation and continuous improvement in quality care is encouraged and promoted through industry events and our better practice awards.

Read more:

Better Practice Awards 2016
Nomination guide (.pdf)
Nominate online

The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency has released the April 2016 issue of their ‘Quality Standard’ newsletter.

Read more:

Quality Standard – April 2016 (.pdf)

The Aged Care Sector Committee (The Committee) provides advice to the Government on aged care policy development and implementation and helps to guide the future reform of the aged care system. The Committee also acts as the mechanism for consultation between the Australian Government and the aged care sector. The committee members consult broadly within their own memberships and constituencies to ensure that stakeholder views inform the policy development process.

In April 2015, the Aged Care Sector Committee was tasked by the former Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, to develop a roadmap to advise on future directions for aged care.

Read more:

Aged Care Sector Committee
Aged Care Roadmap (.pdf)

The Department of Health has released a new edition of its ‘Information for Aged Care Providers’ newsletter.

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue #2016/7 (.pdf)

The US Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recommend users uninstall Apple’s QuickTime for Microsoft Windows.

Apple will no longer be issuing security updates for the product on the Windows Platform and unpatched vulnerabilities could be used to remotely compromise Windows computers.

Read more:

Remove Apple QuickTime from your PC now, warn security researchers and US government
Urgent Call to Action: Uninstall QuickTime for Windows Today
Uninstall QuickTime 7 for Windows

DHS has released a Communique to Aged Care Providers on a case study for Means Tested Care Fee (MTCF) Annual Caps.

Read more:

Communique from the Department of Human Services containing a Case Study on Annual Caps

Microsoft support for SQL Server 2005 ended on April 12, 2016.

If you are still running SQL Server 2005, you will no longer receive security updates.

Read more:

Extended support for SQL Server 2005 ended on April 12, 2016
Microsoft Support Lifecycle

LASA National Chairman Dr Graeme Blackman has announced the appointment of Mr Sean Rooney as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of a unified national LASA.

Read more:

Announcement of inaugural CEO of integrated national LASA (.pdf)

Media Release: 08 April 2016

A new four-strain flu vaccine, protecting against the nasty Brisbane virus, is being made available for at-risk Australians for free from this month by the Turnbull Government, to help them build up their immunity in time for the peak flu season due in August 2016.

Minister for Health Sussan Ley today announced the Federal Government had already begun rolling out the new 2016 vaccine, with $31.3 million made available for up to 4.48 million free doses of the new flu booster.

Ms Ley said the Turnbull Government had moved quickly to upgrade Australia’s flu vaccine stocks from three strains to four, after the arrival of the Brisbane flu strain last year led to 2015 being recorded as the worst flu season in years.

Read more:

New four-strain flu vaccine available from this month (.pdf)

The Department of Health has released a new edition of its ‘Information for Aged Care Providers’ newsletter.

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue #2016/6 (.pdf)