The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is currently contacting all approved providers of residential aged care services by telephone to monitor and support them in their preparation for a COVID-19 outbreak.
This assessment contact will involve a regulatory official from the Commission contacting the provider to discuss their responsibilities under the Aged Care Quality Standards and to provide details about important guidance material that has been released including the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia (CDNA) infection control guidelines and the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) advice on visits to vulnerable groups including residential aged care services.
The telephone call is not an assessment of performance against the Standards. The call will take approximately 10 minutes and arrangements will be made to call back if the provider is busy at the time of the call.
In the coming days we will also be conducting a short online survey of all aged care residential services asking them key questions about their preparedness for COVID-19 based on the CDNA and AHPPC guidelines.
We will continue to adjust our regulatory response to the COVID-19 outbreak in line with the latest advice and guidance from the Department of Health and other health authorities.
We thank all approved providers for their ongoing efforts to protect older Australians at this critical time.
Read more:
Assessment contact on preparing for COVID-19
Assessment contact on preparing for COVID-19 – questions (.pdf)
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreaks in Residential Care Facilities (.pdf)