Month: February 2022

In response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (the Royal Commission), the Government is committed to a comprehensive program of reforms that will be delivered across five pillars: home care; residential aged care services and sustainability; residential aged care quality and safety; workforce; and governance. The reforms aim to strengthen and enhance the protection and rights of older Australians, and will have impacts on aged care governance, quality standards and providers.

Consistent with this reform agenda, a new, modernised aged care legislation will be introduced that is fit for purpose, delivers proportionate regulation and supports the provision of safe and quality care for senior Australians in line with the expectations of the Royal Commission. Similarly, a new Support at Home Program will be developed in consultation with senior Australians and community stakeholders. This reform will address several of the Royal Commission’s recommendations to improve the support for senior Australians to remain independent and in their own homes for longer.

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Concepts for a new framework for regulating aged care (.pdf)

Concepts for a new framework for regulating aged care – Plain English (.pdf)

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

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COVID-19 booster vaccination information for residents of aged care facilities (.pdf)

Australian Defence Force support to residential aged care facilities (.pdf)

Improved payment arrangements for home care – Self-managed care recipient fact sheet (.pdf)

Improved payment arrangements for home care – care recipient fact sheet (.pdf)

Improved payment arrangements for home care – provider fact sheet (.pdf)

Improved Payment Arrangements (IPA) – questions and answers (.pdf)

Aged Care Council of Elders – Council member profiles (.pdf)

CDNA national guidelines for the prevention, control and public health management of COVID-19 outbreaks in residential care facilities in Australia (.pdf)

First 24 hours – managing COVID-19 in a residential aged care facility (.pdf)

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

FAQs – Aged care workforce bonus payment (.pdf)

How residential aged care workers can prove your COVID-19 vaccination status to your employer (.pdf)

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

Competition in residential aged care – for providers (.pdf)

Competition in residential aged care – for general public (.pdf)

COVID-19 in Residential Aged Care Facilities: Managing your workforce affected by Omicron (.pdf)

Interim Guidance on managing public health restrictions on residential aged care facilities (.pdf)

Interim Guidance on managing workforce in regards to COVID-19 in aged care (.pdf)

Council of Elders communique – 25 January 2022 (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – What to expect on COVID-19 vaccination day at your residential aged care facility (.pdf)

Booster vaccination Information kit for residential aged care providers (.docx)

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

Scope of vaccine services for the residential aged care booster program (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Vaccine dose policy (.pdf)

COVID-19 booster vaccination information for residential aged care workers (.pdf)

In this edition:

• New factsheet: Australian Defence Force Support to Residential Aged Care Facilities
• COVID-19 Grief and Trauma Resources for Aged Care
• Updated Victorian Guidelines for Managing COVID-19 exposures and outbreaks: Actions for Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs)

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Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update – 16 February 2022

As announced in yesterday’s edition of the Protecting Older Australians newsletter the department is streamlining how approved providers of residential aged care services report cases of COVID-19 to the Commonwealth.

The department is hosting a free webinar to step through the new reporting process which will be via a new, online COVID-19 Support Portal.

Providers will be required to report COVID-19 cases or exposure through the COVID-19 Support Portal from Monday, 28 February 2022. This Portal will be accessed via the My Aged Care provider portal.

Details:

• For: Residential aged care providers, facility managers and IPC leads
• When: Wednesday 23 February 2022 – 2.00 to 3.00pm AEDT
• 11.00am – 12.00pm WA | 12.30pm – 1.30pm NT | 1.30 to 2.30pm SA | 1.00 – 2.00pm QLD

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Webinar on streamlined changes to reporting COVID-19 in residential aged care – 23 February 2022

Further to the updated guidance released in yesterday’s edition of the Protecting Older Australians newsletter, the following resources have been updated to further support the aged care sector.

Providers are encouraged to read these resources and familiarise themselves with the key changes as outlined below. Please also share these resources with your colleagues and networks.

• Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) COVID-19 Outbreaks in Residential Care Facilities
• First 24 hours checklist

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Updated guidance to support the aged care sector

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission new and updated resources.

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Aged care advocacy – fact sheet (.pdf)

Psychotropic self-assessment tool (.docx)

Psychotropic self-assessment tool – frequently asked questions (.pdf)

Senior Australians in residential aged care will have greater access to visitors and reduced lockdowns under new visitation guidelines response to the pandemic.

The Australian Government recognises the serious impact of social isolation on residents due to the strict requirements to manage the risk of COVID-19.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck welcomed the new advice, which has been endorsed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and National Cabinet.

“The new advice will enable aged care providers to take a more flexible approach to visitation, and a more proportionate approach to locking down of facilities following an exposure or in the event of an outbreak,” Minister Hunt said.

Read more:

New visitation guidelines for aged care residents

Interim Guidance on managing public health restrictions on residential aged care facilities (.pdf)

Interim Guidance on managing workforce in regards to COVID-19 in aged care (.pdf)

COVID-19 in Residential Aged Care Facilities: Managing your workforce affected by Omicron (.pdf)

In light of the rapidly evolving coronavirus situation, the Victorian Government has developed a weekly survey for clinical facilities including Health Services and Aged Care facilities to understand current volumes of clinical waste stored on site and waste management constraints.

We would highly encourage you to take the time to complete this survey as it provides valuable information to assist in the ongoing response to the pandemic.

Read more:

VIC RACFs: Waste management – Survey and updated advice

Clinical Waste Backlog Survey

We’re renewing all PKI site certificates for Medicare and PBS.

We’ve automatically renewed most PKI site certificates.

Where automatic renewal wasn’t possible, we mailed a CD with the renewed certificate to healthcare locations. We sent most of the CDs in mid-2021 to the last known Certificate Manager registered in our system.

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Updates to Medicare and PBS PKI site certificates

Dedicated Commonwealth worker vaccination hubs are now available in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria for all aged care workers. The department will provide advice on additional hubs as they come online.

All aged care workers can get a priority booster appointment at the below sites through the links provided.

Dedicated worker vaccination hubs are available for a limited time so aged care workers should book without delay.

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Additional Dedicated Worker Vaccination Hubs – Book now