Month: November 2023

As we help our approved provider clients prepare their governing bodies to include a majority of independent non-executive persons, we are continuing to see questions and confusion about whether advisory or non-voting persons can help to meet this requirement. The Commission’s Regulatory Bulletin (RB2023-23) released 28 November 2023 also helps to clarify certain aspects.

In our 17 October 2023 alert, we dispelled the myth that a member of the governing body need not be a director. For most approved providers, including companies and associations, the governing body will be the board of directors or committee of management, however described.

We have recently been asked by a number of providers whether they can appoint “associate directors”, advisory or non-voting directors to their governing body. The idea arises from broadly circulated comments from some advisors.

Read more:

Beware: associate, advisory or non-voting directors as members of an approved provider governing body

Sector news

• COVID-19: Vaccination update
• Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act
• Grant Forecast: Aged care wages – historical leave liability
• Verification for specialised aged care services
• Webinar: Digital Transformation Tech Talk
• Evaluation of the National Aged Care Advocacy Program
• Webinar: Human Centricity in Aged Care

Residential care

• Developing staffing Quality Indicators
• COVID-19: Prevent and prepare

Workforce

• Aged care worker pay rise survey

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update: Issue 46

Notable dates

• Webinar: Publishing provider reporting – 28 November
• Webinar: New Aged Care Act and Support at Home update – 14 December

Sector news

• Registered nurses and alternative clinical care
• Free palliative care education and training
• Influenza vaccination reporting
• New video series on the Aged Care Quality Standards
• Webinar: Cross-cultural communication

Residential care

• Food satisfaction questionnaires
• COVID-19: Protecting aged care residents
• Prepare for bushfire season: Resident relocation
• Survey: Communicating with people with limited English

In-home care

• Webinar: Home Care Packages – Program Assurance Reviews

Workforce

• National Nursing Workforce Strategy consultation
• National Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update: Issue 45

In this edition:

• Commissioner’s message
• National Aged Care Provider Conference 2024
• Our reports
• Aged care reforms update
• Food, nutrition and dining
• Clinical update
• Webinars
• Training and resources

Read more:

Aged Care Quality Bulletin #59 – November 2023

Dear aged care providers,

The Commission recently published its first report for providers exploring the complaints we receive about aged care services: Complaints about aged care services – Insights for providers.

This report uses information we collect and provides key insights from the complaints we manage and resolve each year. The first part of the report provides an overview of the complaints we received about residential and home services between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. The second part uses case studies and guided questions to help you and your staff assess your own complaints handling processes using an approach aimed at driving continuous
improvement.

The Aged Care Quality Standards identify feedback and complaints requirements in Standard 6. As Approved Providers, you would be aware of the legislative requirement under the Aged Care Act 1997 and the Aged Care Quality Standards (Quality Standards) for every service to have an internal complaints resolution process.

Read more:

Letter to providers on Complaints about Aged Care Services Report (.pdf)

Complaints about aged care services – Insights for providers report 2023 (.pdf)

News about the reforms

• Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy consultation closing soon

Sector news

• Webinar: Publishing provider reporting for stakeholders and the community
• Grant opportunity: Improving respite care for people with dementia and their carers
• Capital Assistance Program thin markets grant opportunity
• More at-risk people eligible for shingles vaccination

In-home care

• Home Care Packages wait times on My Aged Care
• Reminder: Fair Work Commission CHSP Base Funding Grant closes soon
• Webinar: Introduction to Accessible Documents
• Webinar: How to support older people displaying difficult behaviours

Workforce

• Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payments Round 2 – Now Open
• Aged care worker pay rise survey

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update: Issue 44

The Albanese Government is investing $135 million in infrastructure grants to support aged care providers operating in rural and remote areas.

The grants will help specialist providers to build and improve services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and First Nations communities.

These grants are the first of two competitive opportunities to open in 2023-24 under the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program.

This round is focused on supporting existing providers to deliver quality services in small rural towns, remote and very remote communities.

Grants can be used for a range of purposes – from minor equipment purchases to building upgrades, extensions and new builds or purpose-built staff accommodation to support the aged care workforce.

Read more:

$135m for rural and remote aged care services

Aged Care Capital Assistance Program

The unprecedented high temperatures across Australia during spring and confirmation of an El Niño weather phenomenon for the 2023-24 summer both foreshadow the likelihood of multiple heatwaves in coming months.

It is vital that aged care providers recognise and prepare for the risks that heatwaves present for older people.

While very high temperatures can affect people differently, it is known that frail older people are at higher risk of hospitalisation and even death when exposed to extreme heat. A recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicated that extreme heat accounted for 7,104 injury hospitalisations and 293 deaths in Australia over the 10 years from July 2012 to June 2022. Heatwave-related deaths during this period spiked during severe El Niño years, such as during 2014, 2016, and across 2019 and 2020. In the 3 years from July 2019 to June 2022, people aged 65 and over were the most commonly hospitalised age cohort of all those admitted to hospital for heat-related injuries.

Read more:

Summer clinical alert: Caring for older people in hot weather

Letter from the Commissioner – Preparing for the high-risk weather season (.pdf)

Approved providers have until 1 December this year to complete their first annual suitability check for key personnel.

Failing to comply with this requirement will carry a significant penalty of 300 penalty units, which is just shy of $100,000.00.

How to satisfy this requirement

Approved providers must assess each of their key personnel against each of the “suitability matters” which are listed in 8C of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 and be reasonably satisfied that the individual is suitable to be involved in the provision of aged care.

Providers must keep records of the assessments including:

• The names of each person assessed;
• The date or dates on which the suitability matters were considered (indicating it may take some time to undertake this process);
• The outcome of the approved provider’s consideration of each suitability matter in relation to the key personnel; and
• The reasons for reaching that outcome.

Read more:

Only one month to go – Have you completed your annual Key Personnel Suitability Matters check?

The second round of applications for the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment is now open.

Registered nurses who are directly employed through an aged care provider for 6 or 12 months can receive payments of up to $6000.

The eligibility periods are:

• 1 November 2022 – 31 October 2023 (full payment)
• 1 May 2023 – 31 October 2023 (half payment)

Additional payments are available to nurses who work in a rural or remote area, hold a relevant postgraduate qualification, or have leadership responsibilities.

Aged care providers can apply for their eligible nurses. Applications are open from 6 November 2023 to 20 December 2023.

Read more:

Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payments Program

Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment to reward clinical skills and leadership