Author: Jesse

The Australian Government has announced that it will deploy up to 1,700 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to support staff in the aged care sector.

The ADF will provide immediate support, coordinated in partnership with the Australian Government Department of Health (the Department). It is intended to assist stabilise outbreaks and support staff shortages in residential aged care facilities.

ADF personnel will undertake induction training with healthcare provider Aspen Medical and will deploy four Clinical Support Teams this week. These teams will comprise nurses and general support staff and complement the current Aspen Medical Standing Teams. A further 6 teams are being readied for deployment from next week.

The Australian Defence Force teams will supplement existing Commonwealth workforce surge measures to ensure more support is available to facilities experiencing outbreaks.

Read more:

The Australian Defence Force to work with the aged care sector to provide immediate support for staff

News about the reforms:

• Latest Home Care Packages Program Data Report
• Be informed: Concepts for a new framework for regulating aged care
• Get involved: In-home aged care providers needed for pilot of new quality measures
• Get involved: Residential aged care services needed for pilot of new quality measures

Other news:

• Review your incident management system now
• Vision Australia webinar: understanding low vision and blindness

For residential care providers:

• Information for providers using Services Australia’s Aged Care Online

For home care providers:

• Improved Payment Arrangements: Home care opt-in ends 28 February
• Updated home care pricing summary available

Read more:

Aged Care Alert: Information for the Aged Care Sector Newsletter – Issue #2022/02 (.pdf)

The Commissioner for Aged Care Quality and Safety, Ms Janet Anderson PSM, has been reappointed for a further three years.

Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said Ms Anderson had shown extraordinary leadership during a challenging time.

“I congratulate and thank Ms Anderson for her leadership of the Commission over a period of major change that included new quality standards, additional functions and powers, sustained public scrutiny from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and a challenging operating environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Colbeck said.

“I look forward to her continued leadership of the Commission’s contribution to the Government’s landmark $17.7 billion aged care reform program now under way. Ms Anderson will play a critical role in this program.”

Read more:

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner reappointed

The Government announced on 1 February 2022 that an aged care workforce bonus of up to $800 will be paid to eligible aged care staff in Government subsidised home care and residential care.

The bonus will be paid in two instalments to care and support workers in home care and to direct care workers, food preparation workers and cleaners in residential care.

The instalments of up to $400 will each be payable to workers employed on 28 February and 28 April. The amount of the bonus will depend on whether the worker is working in home care or residential care and will be prorated based on the highest number of hours worked in a single week out of the four weeks leading up to those dates.

Read more:

Aged Care Workforce Bonus Payment

In this edition:

• Waste management in residential aged care facilities (RACFs)
• Ventilation in RACFs
• Planning PPE usage in RACFs
• Aged Care Emergency and Crisis Management Training Program 2021 – EXTENDED UNTIL 30 JUNE 2022
• SA Health – Updated Direction

Read more:

Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update – 3 February 2022

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, presenting ongoing risks to older Australians receiving aged care, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) is constantly reassessing its regulatory response to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

In the last few months, the Commission has further refined regulatory processes and is closely monitoring providers to hold them to account for the delivery of safe, quality care to aged care consumers during the current Omicron wave. Key features of our approach to maintaining a strong regulatory response specifically in the context of COVID-19 include:

• undertaking more infection prevention and control monitoring spot checks at individual aged care services where there is an increased risk of a COVID-19 outbreak
• continuing to conduct site visits to residential services to support and ensure provider outbreak readiness
• resolving complaints, and engaging more closely with services where concerns have been raised about the impact of COVID-19 on care
• proactively contacting providers to ensure they have an outbreak management plan that is continually reviewed and updated
• continuing to assess and investigate serious incident notifications related to COVID-19
• holding providers to account by taking compliance and enforcement action wherever necessary
• using intelligence from spot checks, complaints, incidents and other sources to understand risks associated with COVID-19 and effectively target regulatory activities
• developing and promoting best practice outbreak management resources to the sector.

Read more:

Regulatory activities to protect aged care consumers during the pandemic – Statement from Ms Janet Anderson PSM, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner

Australia is a world leader in double vaccination rates against COVID-19 among its aged care workforce.

To continue to protect senior Australians living in aged care facilities and the community, all aged care workers are strongly encouraged to get a booster dose as soon as they are eligible – three months after their second dose.

People who receive a booster dose reduce the likelihood of severe illness, hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, and are less likely to transmit COVID-19 to others.

It is a mandatory condition of employment for residential aged care workers to receive a COVID-19 booster dose in Victoria, and for all aged care workers in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

Read more:

How aged care workers can access a priority booster dose

In this edition:

• Commissioner’s message
• Governing and managing the use of high-risk medications
• Home services consultation survey closes soon
• Upcoming changes to the SIRS online reporting form
• Complying with your Quality Standards responsibilities
• Inaugural Council of Elders members announced
• Partnerships in care tackle social isolation safely
• New and updated Commission resources

Read more:

Aged Care Quality Bulletin #37 – January 2022

Due to the increasing COVID-19 cases across the country, all residential aged care providers are strongly encouraged to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 exposure or an outbreak in their facility. We again thank you for the enormous work you are doing in caring for aged care residents during the pandemic.

Read more:

PREPARING FOR A COVID-19 OUTBREAK

The COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program Extension Grant reimburses providers for additional eligible costs incurred in managing a direct impact of COVID-19.

The grant has now been extended to 30 June 2022. Amendments to the Grant Opportunity Guidelines and updated Frequently Asked Questions, published on GrantConnect, outline a range of increased supports for providers.

These include:

• Extending the closing date for applications to 30 June 2022 and increasing the total grant funding available to $108.1 million.
• For impact periods that include or commence after 1 December 2021, the cost of purchasing Rapid Antigen Tests prior to, but used within, an eligible impact period is eligible for the grant.
• For impact periods that include or commence after 1 December 2021, the cost of purchasing PPE prior to, but used within, an eligible impact period is eligible for the grant.
• For impact periods that include or commence after 1 December 2021 onward, the cost of accommodation and travel for usual employees of a service to support them to continue working in an outbreak environment are eligible for the grant.

Read more:

Additional support available under COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program Extension Grant (GO4863)