Month: November 2021

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission new and updated resources.

Read more:

RB 2021-14: Change in service ownership (.pdf)

Cost Recovery Implementation Statement – Applications for aged care approved provider status 2021–22 (.pdf)

Aged Care Approved Provider Applicant Guide (.pdf)

Self-Assessment Tool – Quality Standards (v1.5) (.docx)

Self-Assessment Guidance – Quality Standards (v1.5) (.pdf)

Combined Self-Assessment Tool and Plan for Continuous Improvement (v1.2) (.xlsx)

RB 2021-15: Plan for continuous improvement requirements (.pdf)

With catheter form – Clinical pathway for older people in aged care homes: suspected urinary tract infections (.pdf)

Without catheter form – Clinical pathway for older people in aged care homes: suspected urinary tract infections (.pdf)

Regulatory Bulletin – Serious Risk

To Dip or Not to Dip: case-based education presentation (.zip)

The department is seeking feedback on aligning regulation and developing a common code of conduct, across the care and support sectors.

Aligning Regulation

The Australian Government is taking a staged approach to align regulation across the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), disability services, aged care and veterans’ care.

Aligning regulation will strengthen quality and safety for participants and consumers. It will also be easier for service providers and workers to deliver services across sectors.

There are various ways to provide input, including written submissions, online surveys, and online workshop participation. We invite consumers, families, carers, workers, providers and the broader community to have their say.

Read more:

Have your say: Care and support sector consultations

You can now view the 2020-21 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997 (ROACA) on the GEN Aged Care Data website.

Each year this report provides an important overview of Australia’s aged care system and details its operation over the previous financial year. This year’s ROACA also includes detail about the challenges faced by senior Australians and the aged care sector in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the critical interventions made by government to respond to those challenges.

Read more:

Aged Care Alert: 2020-21 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997

2020–21 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997 (.pdf)

A list of new and updated resources – including apps, audio and video resources and other publications – about aged care.

Read more:

2020–21 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997 (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Consent guidance material for residential aged care (.pdf)

Aged care funding reforms webinar

Guide to Combining Aged Care Services (.pdf)

Notice to Transfer Aged Care Places to Another Provider (.pdf)

Managing home care through COVID-19

Aged care funding instrument (ACFI) monitoring report – June 2021 (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Guidance for in-home and community aged care providers on reporting workforce COVID-19 vaccinations (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Guidance for residential aged care providers on reporting resident and workforce COVID-19 vaccinations (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Proof of employment letter for in-home and community aged care workers (.pdf)

How in-home and community aged care workers can provide your COVID-19 vaccination status to your employer (.pdf)

Australian Government response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport report (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccine booster rollout in residential aged care (video)

Information kit to support COVID-19 vaccination of in-home and community aged care workers (.pdf)

Understanding fees for aged care homes (.pdf)

Understanding fees for residential respite care (.pdf)

Understanding fees for home care (.pdf)

The safety and well-being of aged care residents and staff remains a priority, as the Australian Government continues to work with states and territories and the aged care sector to transition to living with COVID 19.

To assist with the COVID-19 emergency, the Government is encouraging residential aged care providers who have capacity to admit people being discharged from hospital where possible.

The Government is working with states and territories to ensure their public hospital systems are equipped to deal with any increase in hospitalisations as COVID-19 restrictions are eased in coming months.

As part of this it will be important that older Australians in hospital who will need ongoing residential care when they are discharged, are able to access care in a timely manner.

Read more:

Residential aged care admissions during COVID 19

In this edition:

• Hospital Discharge and Provision of Commonwealth Home Support to COVID Patients
• FREE 1-2-1 Sessions with an Emergency/Crisis Management Practitioner
• SA Health – updated flowchart for COVID Management in SA RACFs
• Webinars: My Aged Care Reporting and Home Care and CHSP Vaccination
• My Aged Care Reporting – Virtual Tour of Vaccination Reporting
• #ProudToProtect – Home Care and CHSP Worker Vaccination
• REMINDER: WA and TAS webinars for In-home and Community Aged Care Workers
• Western Australia – Tuesday 30 November
• Tasmania – Wednesday 1 December

Read more:

Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update – 29 November 2021

Published by: Victor Harcourt, Anita Courtney, Johanna Heaven, Matthew Goessler, Julia Bell

How are Tribunals likely to view restricting access to wanted items?

Various Tribunals have interpreted the meaning of “environmental restraint” in cases before them, dealing with the NDIS regime. In the case of BYC [2020] NSWCATGD 69 (30 November 2020) the front gate of the property where the care recipient lived was locked overnight. Although BYC did not object to the gate being locked overnight, it still constituted an environmental restraint as his freedom of movement was restricted.

In the case of KKD [2019] NSWCATGD 4 (21 January 2019) the Tribunal found that the care recipient’s restricted access to the kitchen refrigerator to prevent excessive consumption of food and drinks was an environmental restraint. Locking doors and gates to prevent the care recipient from leaving to engage in food seeking behaviours was also found to be an environmental restraint.

Read more:

Environmental restraint: How Tribunals are likely to view restrictions to wanted items

The Morrison Government welcomes the release of the Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act (1997) – a vital overview of Australia’s age care system.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, and the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the report offered important insight into the sector’s operations during the 2020-21 financial year.

Importantly, it details the challenges faced by senior Australians and the aged care sector in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the critical interventions made by Government as it responded to those challenges.

It includes an overview of systems and resources, service provision from community care through to permanent residential care, services delivered to people with diverse needs, and the provision of regulatory and prudential frameworks to ensure consumers receive high quality services.

Read more:

Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act

News about the reforms:

• Have your say: Developing aged care quality measures and Star Ratings
• Get involved: Providers invited to trial quality measures
• Have your say: New residential aged care design standards
• Webinar: Aged care funding reform, 1 December 2021

Other news:

• Resources to help manage, re-engage and recruit volunteers
• Webinar: Employment of care and support workforce
• LGBTI aged care awareness training
• Aged Care Workforce Industry Council releases workforce insights

For residential care providers:

• Reminder: Buying or selling a service can impact resident fees

For home care providers:

• Improved Payment Arrangements: Home care claim tips

Read more:

Information for the Aged Care Sector – Issue 2021/22 (.pdf)

In this edition:

• WA and TAS webinars for in-home and community aged care workers
• Online NOW: QLD and SA webinars on mandatory vaccination for in-home and community aged care workers
• How workers can get vaccinated
• Booster vaccinations

Read more:

Vaccination update for In-home and Community Aged Care Workers 25 November 2021