News

In Case You Missed It – Below are links to recent articles on Aged Care and Healthcare that may be of interest.

Australian Ageing Agenda:

Change in psychotropic prescribing among residents

Creating rehab in any setting imaginable

Spot check accreditation audits legislated

Attached is a communique from the Department of Human Services.

Read more:

DHS Provider Communique: Quarterly Review March 2018 (.pdf)

The department has engaged CIT Solutions to build a single platform for all My Aged Care training. The My Aged Care Learning Environment (MACLE) will allow the My Aged Care workforce to:

• strengthen their skills and knowledge
• build on the capabilities related to their My Aged Care role
• undertake accredited and non-accredited learning experiences.

The department and CIT Solutions will hold co-design workshops across metropolitan and regional Australia between 24 April and 23 May 2018.

Read more:

My Aged Care Learning Environment

Yesterday afternoon the Department of Health released the 20 March 2018 rate updates.

We are currently working on adding these rate updates into the next version update of Manad Plus. Once completed and the version they are in has passed testing we will prepare an update file and push this out to your server so this can be run as per your usual update process.

The upgrade file should be available for Version 5 users to run on Monday 26th March. We will notify everyone again once we have confirmed the exact version number (v5.5.53XXX).

Version 4 users, we will manually run the v4 file update as per our previous rate update process once its version has also passed testing.

Note:

• The MPIR applicable to ‘refund periods’ will increase from 5.72% to 5.77% for the period of 1 April 2018 to 30 June 2018
• The Base Interest Rate remains unchanged at 3.75%
• Maximum Basic Daily Fee – Standard Resident contribution (includes respite residents) up to $50.16

Read more:

Indexation rates for Residential Aged Care and Home Care Packages and changes to the Maximum Permissible Interest Rate (MPIR)

Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care from 20 March 2018 (.pdf)

Schedule of Fees and Charges for Pre 1 July 2014 Residents from 20 March 2018 (.pdf)

Schedule of subsidies and supplements from 20 March 2018 (.pdf)

Please note the next minor version update of Manad Plus (v5.6) will now require Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.1 to be installed.

Please notify your IT Administrator so they can prepare for this next time they are planning updates to your infrastructure. We have not set a release date yet for v5.6 so they can add this to their usual planning of Windows updates over the coming months, if it is not already installed.

(NOTE: this is not required for the upcoming rates update.)

See: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.1

Supported Operating Systems:

• Windows 7 SP1 (x86 and x64)
• Windows 8.1 (x86 and x64)
• Windows 10 Anniversary Update (x86 and x64)
• Windows 10 Creators Update (x86 and x64)
• Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64)
• Windows Server 2012 (x64)
• Windows Server 2012 R2 (x64)
• Windows Server 2016 (x64)

As always, if your IT ever have any questions then please email these to support@manad.com.au.

In this issue:

• How the My Aged Care Provider and Assessor Helpline (1800 836 799) can help you

• Webinar – updates on My Aged Care operations and draft Aged Care Quality Standards

Residential Care:

• Unannounced re-accreditation audits to start from 1 July 2018

Home Care:

• New letter to prompt consumers to start home care package research

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue 2018/4 (.pdf)

Media Release: 17 March 2018

From today, unannounced quality and safety audits will come into force across all Australian residential aged care homes, as the Turnbull Government builds on its aged care reforms.

The Aged Care Minister, Ken Wyatt AM, said enactment of the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency Legislation Amendment (Unannounced Reaccreditation Audits) Principles 2018 means homes will no longer be given notice of the date of their re-accreditation audit.

“Our commitment to safe, high-quality care is non-negotiable and I am sure is shared by all Australians,” said Minister Wyatt.

“These changes will strengthen the oversight of aged care services to provide greater assurance that standards of care are consistently maintained, not just at re-accreditation times”.

“While the vast majority of Aged Care homes provide excellent service all year, this reform is designed to give residents and their families’ greater confidence in care delivery.”

Minister Wyatt signalled the Government’s intention to introduce unannounced re-accreditation audits by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency when he released the Review of National Aged Care Quality Regulatory Processes last October. This enhancement to the audit system was a key recommendation.

Read more:

Taking action: Strengthening aged care homes quality compliance

More information on unannounced re-accreditation audits can be found on the Department of Health website at https://agedcare.health.gov.au/ensuring-quality

Information can also be found at the Quality Agency website https://www.aacqa.gov.au/providers/news-and-resources/moving-to-unannounced-audits

The Quality Agency publishes accreditation and compliance decisions and resident feedback results on its website www.aacqa.gov.au

The report on the Review of National Aged Care Quality Regulatory Processes can be found at https://agedcare.health.gov.au/quality/review-of-national-aged-care-quality-regulatory-processes-report

In Case You Missed It – Below are links to recent articles on Aged Care and Healthcare that may be of interest.

Australian Ageing Agenda:

Workforce strategy: what the aged care sector is telling taskforce

Revamp would cut aged care funding: analysis

Lack of training leaves gaps in oral healthcare

Call to empower care staff in monitoring skin integrity

Hello Care:

Senate Inquiry Hears Need For Camera In Aged Care Homes

Silent Disco: Relieving Symptoms Of Dementia

Aged Care Has Been Set Up “Around The Notion Of Guilt”

Growing Expectations In Aged Care: “Overcooking” Quality And Making Complaints

Why Aged Care Providers Should Care About Social Media

Aged Care Guide:

Primary school program helps create dementia-friendly communities

Aged care ratios: the right call?

Healthcare IT News:

Australian FHIR innovation a frontrunner as the US government looks to standardise health data exchange

Global digital health network announced as Australia takes a lead role in international collaboration

Other:

Microsoft – Healthcare is getting safer, smarter and more secure with HP’s new lineup of Windows 10 devices

SBS News – Australian 99-year-old swimmer ‘delighted’ after smashing world record

Media Release: 14 March 2018

An Industry Reference Committee (IRC) is being formed to tackle critical skills and workforce issues identified by the Turnbull Government’s Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce.

The new IRC will include consumer advocates, peak industry bodies and employer and employee representatives.

The IRC will be established by the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) to review and develop national competency standards for aged care vocational training and will help facilitate any required education and training reforms.

The Strategy Taskforce is being led by John Pollaers, who is also Chair of the AISC.

Read more:

New, comprehensive voice for aged care skills and workforce planning (.pdf)

The Aged Care Financing Authority is seeking views on the:

• increasing use of respite care
• appropriateness of the current arrangements.

The consultation paper is open for comment until 5pm Friday 13 April 2018. You can access the consultation paper on ACFA’s website.

Read more:

ACFA Respite Care Consultation – invitation to provide feedback