Author: Jesse

The Morrison Government will improve medication management and safety for aged care residents by investing $345.7 million for on-site pharmacists and community pharmacy services in government-funded residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, announced the funding at the annual Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference, currently underway on the Gold Coast.

“Improving medication management for senior Australians living in aged care is part of the Government’s generational reform of the sector,” Minister Hunt said.

“Having a pharmacist and community pharmacy services on-site will give residents and their families confidence that medications are regularly reviewed, appropriate and needed.

“The pharmacist will also gain an in-depth understanding of medication issues across the facility and will be well-placed to improve medical management and safety.

“This is especially important when we consider the overuse of antipsychotics, known as chemical restraint, and we will continue to work closely with the aged care sector, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia in implementing these important reforms.”

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On-site pharmacists to improve medication management in RACFs

Published by: Victor Harcourt, Anita Courtney, Johanna Heaven, Matthew Goessler, Despina Hrambanis

In September 2021, the second tranche of legislative reform stemming from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (Royal Commission) was introduced to Federal Parliament. Importantly, the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 (The Bill) proposes further amendments to the restrictive practices provisions which were introduced in 2021.

As many providers are aware, the practical implementation of the restrictive practices amendments resulted in ambiguity in relation to the authorisation of substitute decision-makers to provide consent on behalf of care recipient for the use of restrictive practices.

With the Bill before Senate in the week starting 28 March 2022, it is timely for approved providers to consider whether changes are required at a compliance or clinical level if the Bill passes, as hoped.

Read more:

Senate to debate proposed restrictive practices amendments

The following aged care sector performance information includes statistics about residential aged care and home services.

The performance information includes data from the Commission’s aged care quality regulatory and complaints functions.

Read more:

1 October – 31 December 2021 Sector Performance Data (.pdf)

News about the reforms:

• Data experts IQVIA to conduct consumer experience interviews
• Next 2021 Basic Daily Fee Supplement Report due 21 April 2022
• Have your say: New residential aged care design standards

Other news:

• Specialist Dementia Care Program webinar: Apply for Phase Two grant
• National Strategy for Volunteering: Submissions open for questions and feedback
• Update your provider information on My Aged Care
• National Forum: Enabling Better Aged and Community Care for Forgotten Australians
• Good Practice Guide for aged care hearing assistance programs
• Have your say: Understanding the experience of the aged care sector using translating and interpreting services

For residential care providers:

• Information for providers using Services Australia’s Aged Care Online web services
• Help for software developers to prepare for aged care system change

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update #05 (.pdf)

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability identified that psychotropic medicines are being misused and overused, particularly with older people and people with disability. Inappropriate use of psychotropic medicines has been recognised as a safety and quality issue in health care.

The use of psychotropic medicines can be appropriate for treating, or enabling the treatment of, a diagnosed mental disorder or a physical illness or physical condition. However, using psychotropic medicines, such as antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, to calm, soothe, sedate or influence or control the behaviour of people who exhibit behaviours of concern is a restrictive practice and is subject to regulatory oversight.

Read more:

Joint Statement on the Inappropriate Use of Psychotropic Medicines to Manage the Behaviours of People with Disability and Older People (.pdf)

Consumer Experience Interviews (CEIs) will be undertaken in residential aged care facilities from April 2022. Interviews will be undertaken and will use a simple set of questions to ask senior Australians about their experience living in residential aged care.

The results of these CEIs will be published on the Star Ratings web page. This will give all Australians more information and confidence when choosing aged care services for themselves or their loved ones.

To conduct the interviews, the department has engaged IQVIA in a consortium with Access Care Network Australia and HealthConsult, which has substantial experience in the aged care sector. IQVIA will be in touch with residential aged care providers to schedule interviews.

Around 20% of care recipients will be interviewed nationally, including residents from vulnerable communities, diverse cultures and those with special needs.

Read more:

Aged Care Alert: Aged Care Consumer Experience Interviews to be conducted soon

Star ratings for residential aged care

Consumer experience interviews

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.

Read more:

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

Read more:

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