Month: March 2020

The World Health Organisation today declared COVID-19 a pandemic. With cases rising in Australia, particularly from community transmission, COVID-19 will present significant ongoing challenges to the aged care industry for months to come. Aged care providers who fail to adequately manage the risk may face legal and/or regulatory action, and risk long-term reputational damage in a highly-charged socio-political climate.

With the ongoing backdrop of the Aged Care Royal Commission, aged care providers operating within a strict regulatory framework are faced with a unique and novel challenge in this public health crisis. That is, how to effectively balance regulatory obligations with their duty of care to residents – all of whom are most vulnerable to the virus. Times are uncertain and responses unpredictable – so far we have seen ‘panic-buying’ leading to individual supply shortages, and a whole country go into lockdown. Such contingencies will have significant impact on the aged care sector, and it is now time to start planning.

Read more:

Aged care and the COVID-19 pandemic: 10 legal tips for residential aged care providers

The department’s National Palliative Care Strategy 2018 prioritises the need for early planning and referral to palliative care for people affected by life-limiting illnesses. The key to implementation, is identifying when someone would benefit from palliative care and knowing how to assist them. To do this, many health professionals use prognostic (predictive) tools to identify when someone is at risk of dying within 12 months.

The department is seeking information from all aged care providers to help understand the use of palliative care prognostic (predictive) tools in aged care services.

The survey closes at 5pm on Friday 17 April 2020.

Read more:

Palliative Care Prognostic Tools Survey

Healthcare workforce survey: Use of palliative care predictive or prognostic tools

Message from the Commissioner – COVID-19

I am writing to provide an update on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s ongoing actions to ensure that aged care providers are focused on, and supported in, taking all steps necessary to protect the safety and wellbeing of aged care consumers during the current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak.

Read more:

March 12 – Commissioner’s letter to providers (.pdf)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information

Today the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, announced a health package designed to protect all Australians, including vulnerable groups such as senior Australians, from the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Importantly for the aged care sector, the package includes $101.2 million to:

• Educate and train aged care workers in infection control, and enable aged care providers to hire extra nurses and aged care workers for both residential and home care.
• Make available additional aged care staff for deployment to facilities as needed, where an urgent health response is required and to provide extra support for staff and training.
• Provide additional funding for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to work with providers on improving infection control.

Read more:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) health package announced

The Australian Government has unveiled a comprehensive $2.4 billion health package to protect all Australians, including vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those with chronic conditions and Indigenous communities, from the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The package provides unprecedented support across primary care, aged care, hospitals, research and the national medical stockpile.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government was ensuring Australia’s health system was well-prepared and had the resources it needed to fight coronavirus and protect the community.

“Australia isn’t immune but with this $2.4 billion boost we’re as well prepared as any country in the world,” the Prime Minister said.

“This package is about preventing and treating coronavirus in the coming weeks.

“Our medical experts have been preparing for an event like this for years and this is the next step up in Australia’s plan.

“Our Government alongside the country’s leading medical experts is working around the clock to ensure we have the right tools, information and resources to keep Australians safe.”

Read more:

$2.4 BILLION HEALTH PLAN TO FIGHT COVID-19

Senior Australians in aged care and at home remain the focus of a plan of action from the Morrison Government aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, today outlined the measures in place to protect residents, staff and their families at facilities across the country.

The front line of defence starts with a funding boost of $101.2 million with a focus on:

• Upskilling aged care workers in coronavirus infection control;
• Boosting staff numbers, support and training for residential care homes where an urgent health response is required;
• A telehealth consultation service provided by doctors, both GPs and specialists, for anyone over the age of 70;
• Specialist onsite pathology services ensuring residents don’t have to leave facilities and to quickly respond to potential cases; and
• Additional funds allowing the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to work with providers on improving infection control.

Read more:

Funding boost for aged care set to strengthen defence against COVID-19

As part of the Commission’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19), our site visits will include the following new risk-based question on the minimisation of infection-related risks:

What action has the service taken to assess and minimise infection-related risks for the care of aged care consumers including the impact of a potential coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak?

From Monday 9 March 2020, quality assessors will ask the additional risk-based questions of the person in charge at a service during the entry meeting on commencement of all performance assessments. This includes assessments with residential aged care services and home services.

Residential services – Risk-based questions

1. Have there been any adverse findings by another regulatory agency or oversight body in the last 12 months? (e.g. Healthcare complaints commission or similar, Food safety authority, Workcover, etc).
2. What trends do your complaints data show you?
3. How many consumers are receiving pressure area care?
4. Have there been any medication incidents in the past 6 months where a consumer required hospitalisation or attention by a medical officer?
5. How many consumers have had falls and required medical attention in the past 3 months?
6. How many consumers at the service are currently receiving psychotropic medications? (To be captured as a rate or percent of total consumers at the service.) How many consumers are restrained in order to manage risks to themselves or others at the service? (To be captured as a rate or percent of total consumers at the service.)
7. Can you tell me about incidents in the past 6 months where a consumer or staff member has required medical attention as a result of challenging behaviour from a consumer?
8. What action has the service taken to assess and minimise infection-related risks for the care of aged care consumers including the impact of a potential coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak?

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Risk-based questions

People who have returned from a country or region that is at high or moderate risk for COVID-19 should monitor their health closely.

If you develop symptoms including a fever and cough you should isolate yourself immediately and urgently seek medical attention. Go to www.health.gov.au/covid19-travellers for the list of at-risk countries.

What should I tell my staff?

Employers should provide information and brief all employees and contract staff, including domestic and cleaning staff where applicable, on relevant information and procedures to prevent
the spread of coronavirus. You should inform staff who meet the above criteria that they should remain isolated in their home.

Employees should advise their employer if they develop symptoms during the isolation period, particularly if they have been in the workplace. Public health authorities may contact employers in the event an employee is confirmed to have coronavirus.

Read more:

Information for health care and residential care workers Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) (.pdf)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – what you need to know (.pdf)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) isolation guidance (.pdf)

Professor Brendan Murphy, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, has recently issued advice to all aged care providers about COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). In his letter, as well as stressing the importance of infection control and preparedness for health emergencies, Professor Murphy outlined the factors aged care services should consider in relation to emergency planning:

• first steps if infection is suspected or identified (e.g. seeking medical assessment, diagnosis and contact with local public health officials, if needed);
• arrangements to ensure adequate care of the infected individual (e.g. staffing, isolation/quarantine within the facility, medical care, further liaison with public health officials);
• protection measures for other residents, visitors and staff
• notification advice to families, carers and relevant authorities.

The importance of infection control to ensuring consumers’ safety, health and wellbeing is underscored in Standard 3 (Personal care and clinical care) of the Aged Care Quality Standards. Requirement 3(g) in this standard requires aged care services to demonstrate “minimisation of infection-related risks through implementing standard and transmission-based precautions to prevent and control infection”.

Additionally, Standard 8 of the Quality Standards requires providers to have clinical governance arrangements in place that ensure safe and quality care for people receiving aged care – which can include effective organisation wide systems for preventing, managing and controlling infections.

Read more:

Standard 3g

Standard 8e

Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2019) (.pdf)

How to wash and dry hands with soap and water (.pdf)

How to clean hands using an alcohol based liquid or hand rub (.pdf)

Hand Hygiene Australia – 5 Moments For Hand Hygiene

The Morrison Government has secured an additional 54 million face masks to help protect medical professionals working to stop the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

A combination of surgical masks, P2 and N95 respirators have been secured for the National Medical Stockpile, which will be available for medical and aged care professionals to care for patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The Government has been working closely with the medical profession, who have highlighted the importance of securing additional personal protective equipment (PPE) to support the response to the global COVID-19 outbreak.

We are grateful for the role of our frontline workers and recognise the need to continue to protect them and support the response.

Read more:

Australian Government secures additional 54 million face masks to contain coronavirus outbreak