Month: September 2017

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 #2017/18 (.pdf)

Seniors advocacy organisation COTA Australia has warned aged care providers against fraudulent behaviour when assisting residents with the national marriage-equality survey now underway.

Consumer and provider groups have been attempting to mitigate impacts on aged care services resulting from the optional Marriage Law Postal Survey asking whether the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, which is being run by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) rather the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

Read more:

Aust. Ageing Agenda – Providers urged to support residents appropriately for marriage survey

ABS: People in aged care facilities

Marriage Law Survey (Additional Safeguards) Act 2017

New forms to report reportable assaults and missing residents were released in July 2017.

Providers and staff are required to use these new forms.

Read more:

Industry alert: new forms for compulsory reporting requirements

Compulsory reporting for approved providers of residential aged care services

The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency has released the September 2017 issue of their ‘Quality Standard’ newsletter.

Read more:

Quality Standard – September 2017 (.pdf)

Australian Aged Care Quality Agency

Changes will be made to the My Aged Care provider portal on 25 September 2017 to support the ACFI Review and Reconsideration processes.

These changes are part of the department’s continued investment in the delivery of system and process improvements to My Aged Care.

Read more:

ACFI My Aged Care provider portal changes

Readiness checklist for residential care providers

The Aged Care Complaints Commissioner Annual Report 2016-17 is now available.

The Aged Care Complaints Commissioner provides a free service for anyone to raise their concerns about the quality of care or services being delivered to people receiving aged care services subsidised by the Australian Government.

The report gives some good insights into the increasing awareness of people about aged care, especially at a time when more than ever, there are more choices and more freedom for people in aged care to make those choices.

Read more:

Annual Report 2016-17 (.pdf)

Aged Care Complaints Commissioner Annual Report

Aust. Ageing Agenda – Medication issues top complaints in residential care

LASA – Australia’s aged care system delivers but there is more work to do (.pdf)

The next version (v5.5) of Manad Plus will be available to be released later today.

The Department of Health only provided the new 20 September ‘Schedule of Fees and Charges’ late yesterday afternoon so once we have these added and tested the version will be ready to be pushed out.

Please notify the Help Desk when you would like the version pushed out to your server. If you are not ready yet, then that is okay, contact the Help Desk only when you are ready and this way you will get the latest version.

IMPORTANT:

Please do not update to the newer version if you have not had time to inform all your staff/users of the contents of the Release Notes. This poses far to greater risk to your organisation if you are not ready and prepared for the changes. Ideally, you should have had a meeting(s) with all your users so they are aware of the changes and what to expect before any upgrade takes place.

The Department of Health (DoH) has released the latest Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care, which take effect from 20 September 2017, as well as the updated Aged Care Subsidies and Supplements – New Rates of Payment from 20 September 2017.

Key Items:

• Maximum Basic Daily Fee – Residential Care is $49.42,

• Maximum Permissible Interest Rate – for all new residents from 1 October 2017 – 31 December 2017 is 5.70%,

• Base Interest Rate remains unchanged at 3.75%.

Read more:

Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care from 20 September 2017 (.pdf)

Schedule of Fees and Charges for Pre 1 July 2014 Residents From 20 September 2017 (.pdf)

Schedule of subsidies and supplements from 20 September 2017 (.pdf)

We are currently preparing a User Group Meeting to be held in both Sydney & Melbourne.

These will be held on:

– Thursday 16th November 2017 (Sydney)

– Friday 17th November 2017 (Melbourne)

Once we have confirmed the venues we will send out an agenda for the day.

If there is something you would like us to cover at the meeting then please let us know: support@manad.com.au

In Case You Missed It – Below are links to recent articles on Aged Care and Healthcare that may be of interest:

Read more:

AAA – Government applies co-design principles to wider reform

AAA – Government moves to make flu jab compulsory for residential care staff

AAA – Home care system troubles ‘compounding’, says peak

AAA – Quality agency to conduct sector-wide review of infection control procedures

AAA – Profits up but full effects of ACFI changes not yet known, says ACFA

ACG – Online retirement village cost calculator – the first of its kind

NM – Demand aged care plans, nurse tells families

AAA – Call for decision aids specific to residential aged care

Engadget – Robot caregivers are saving the elderly from lives of loneliness

ABC – Aveo resident diagnosed with scabies claims company covered up skin condition outbreak

ACG – Government action on recent influenza outbreak in aged care

ABC – Lendlease accused of hiking prices, reducing services at retirement villages

FR – Levitt Robinson lodges Class action against Aveo

AAA – Tune recommends wide-ranging changes to further reform

ABC – Call for tougher aged-care standards, amid claims of nursing home neglect