July 2019 - Page 2 of 3

The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program started on 1 July 2019 and requires all residential aged care service providers to collect data on each care recipient every quarter against the following three quality indicators:

• pressure injuries
• use of physical restraint
• unplanned weight loss.

1 July – 30 September 2019 – providers must collect data for all three quality indicators.

The unplanned weight loss quality indicator has two collection categories:

• significant unplanned weight loss and
• consecutive unplanned weight loss.

All quality indicator data (except for significant unplanned weight loss) is due for submission to the Department of Health by 21 October 2019.

National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program Manual 1.0 (.pdf)

Published: July 17, 2019

Update on residential aged care funding reform

Residential Aged Care Funding Reform Trial

The department will trial a new assessment framework for residential aged care funding in late 2019 and early 2020. Between 5,000 and 10,000 aged care residents will be assessed using the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) tool as part of the trial. Find more information on the AN-ACC tool here.

How to participate

We invite residential aged care service providers to submit expressions of interest to participate in the trial.

EOIs should be submitted to ResiFundingTrial@health.gov.au by 31 July 2019. Please include the name of your organisation, facility information, and the details of a key contact (name, position, phone number and email).

All providers participating in the trial will receive a summary overview of the AN-ACC classification profile for each participating facility.

Residential Aged Care Funding Reform Trial: Factsheet (.pdf)

Resource Utilisation and Classification Study

Published: July 12, 2019

Timeframes for implementing the new Charter of Aged Care Rights

The new Charter of Aged Care Rights is now in effect and all providers have responsibilities, including to:

• give consumers a signed copy of the Charter
• assist consumers to understand the Charter
• ensure that consumers, or their authorised person, are given a reasonable opportunity to sign a copy of the Charter.

Charter of Aged Care Rights

Published: July 12, 2019

Reminder to complete home care pricing information

Home care providers should by now have met the 1 July 2019 home care pricing requirements. This includes publishing pricing information in the new home care pricing schedule, displayed on the My Aged Care website.

Providers must complete their pricing information against all of their operational My Aged Care service items.

Frequently asked questions have been added to the resource page to help providers complete and comply with the legislative requirement.

FAQs: 1 July 2019 Improvements to Home Care Pricing Information (.pdf)

Improving home care pricing information

Published: July 11, 2019

Queensland Health Influenza Communique: provision of antiviral medication for influenza outbreaks in residential aged care facilities

View Queensland Health’s 2019 Communique regarding the:

• provision of antiviral medication for influenza outbreaks in residential aged care facilities;
• aged care notification process to local Public Health Units.

Queensland Government providing Oseltamivir for influenza outbreaks in residential aged care facilities (.pdf)

Influenza in residential care facilities

Published: July 9, 2019

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission – Latest News

Have you missed any of the ‘Latest News’ released by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission?

Some of the most recent links are below.

Read more:

Aged Care Quality Bulletin #6, Jun 2019

Aged Care Open Disclosure Framework and Guidance (.pdf)

Minimising the use of restraints

Responding to non-compliance with the Aged Care Quality Standards (.pdf)

Regulatory Bulletin – Exclusion of specific dates for unannounced visits (.pdf)

Regulatory Bulletin – Assessment contacts in residential aged care (.pdf)

Published: July 9, 2019

Regulatory Bulletin – Aged Care Quality Standards Performance Assessment Methodology

Issue No. 2019-5

This Regulatory Bulletin outlines the assessment methodology used by quality assessors when undertaking performance assessments under the Quality Standards.

It describes the Commission’s systematic approach to assessment of provider performance as a key element of its regulatory practice.