In this edition:
• Grant Opportunity: Aged Care Infection Prevention and Control Training
• Expanded eligibility and quicker access to COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments
• ACIPC conference 2022
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Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update 3 November 2022
In this Edition:
• Commissioner’s message
• Update on sector reforms with regulatory implications
• Transition care services to be regulated from 1 December
• Revised Quality Standards public consultation underway
• Quality and safety in home services – risks in focus: vulnerable consumers
• Partnerships in care resources
• Update on Commission’s response to SCHADS Award changes
• Measures of good practice: food, dining and nutrition webinar for residential providers – 17 November
• Upcoming key dates for financial reporting
• New and updated Commission resources
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News about the reforms:
• Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022 passed by Parliament
• Draft provider governance legislation released
• Webinar: Strengthening provider governance – a regulatory perspective
• Extending the Serious Incident Response Scheme to home care and flexible care providers
• Register for the SIRS home care webinar this Thursday 3 November
• Aged care reform consultations now open
• Webinar recording: Aged Care Quality Standards public consultation
• Reminder: Publish your General Purpose Financial Statement by 30 November
• Registered Nurses’ Payment grant round opens soon
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In this edition:
• Webinar – aged care COVID-19 update
• PPE pre-deployment for residential aged care homes
• Reporting of aged care residents and aged care staff influenza vaccinations in 2022
• Reporting all COVID-19 cases and positive resident deaths via the My Aged Care COVID-19 provider portal
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Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update 28 October 2022
The Australian Government today passed legislation requiring aged care homes to have around-the-clock nursing care, a key election commitment.
The Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022 delivers on the Government’s commitment to have 24/7 access to a registered nurse in residential aged care services.
This Bill will help older Australians living in residential aged care receive immediate clinical attention when needed. It will mean fewer unnecessary trips to hospital, leading to better care outcomes.
It also includes measures to make sure public dollars are being spent on care with the publication of regular financial and operational reporting from approved providers.
This will include how much is spent on care, nursing, food, maintenance, cleaning, administration, and profits.
These changes will provide older Australians, their families and carers with practical information to help make more informed aged care decisions.
The legislation also bans exit fees and enables the capping of administration and management charges in the Home Care Packages Program.
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Delivering on Labor’s commitment to put nurses back into nursing homes 24/7
Australia’s aged care sector has been neglected for too long. This Budget takes the first steps to deliver on reforms to ensure older Australians in care are treated with the respect they deserve with a $3.9 billion package of reforms.
• The Albanese Government will mandate the number of care minutes residents receive – starting with 200 care minutes including 40 nursing minutes from 1 October 2023, and 215 care minutes including 44 nursing minutes from 1 October 2024. Aged care homes will receive more funding to deliver on our promise to provide more care minutes to residents. In addition, from 1 July 2023 all aged care homes must have a registered nurse on site 24/7. These commitments will be met with a combined investment of $2.5 billon.
• Aged care residents will also have access to better food, with the Maggie Beer Foundation funded to educate and train staff to meet new nutritional standards ($5m).
• Older people in care will experience a strengthened and professional aged care workforce. A new national registration scheme for personal care workers will include a code of conduct, ongoing training and English proficiency ($3.6m). Continuity of care will also be improved by requiring providers to preference direct employment.
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News about the reforms:
• Webinar: Star Ratings 18 November
Other news:
• Reminder: Employer Engagement Webinars: Expanding the Aged Care Workforce through Australian Apprenticeships (Traineeships)
• Providers: Update your cost information on My Aged Care
• Free Equip Aged Care Learning Packages
• Improve understanding and treatment of drug users
• Victoria’s Palliative Care Advice Service
Services Australia Aged Care Payment System update:
• AN-ACC claims processing and payment statements
• Residential aged care payment statement PDF
• AN-ACC classification display issue
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Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission new and updated resources.
Read more:
Partnerships in care – Partner fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
Visiting essentials for partners in care
Visiting essentials during an infectious outbreak
Partnerships in care – Partner information package (October 2022) (.pdf)
Partnerships in care – Provider fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
Partnerships in care – Provider toolkit (October 2022) (.pdf)
What is the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
31 August 2022 – Commissioner’s letter to aged care consumers regarding national aged care reforms (.pdf)
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission – Capability review fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
How prepared are you for a COVID-19 outbreak? – fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
Is my aged care service ready for a COVID-19 outbreak? fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
Is my loved one’s aged care service ready for a COVID-19 outbreak? (October 2022) (.pdf)
Infection Prevention and Control Leads: Updates for providers (October 2022) (.pdf)
COVID-19 restrictions in residential aged care – your rights fact sheet (September 2022) (.pdf)
Prudential Standards – Financial and Prudential Reporting Responsibilities fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
DRAFT: Code of Conduct for Aged Care: Guidance for providers (.pdf)
Aged care reforms – an overview fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
Aged care reforms – a regulatory perspective fact sheet (October 2022) (.pdf)
Consultation on the revised Aged Care Quality Standards is open now until 25 November 2022.
The Department is conducting an urgent review of the Aged Care Quality Standards, as recommended by the Royal Commission, and is seeking feedback on a new, strengthened version of the standards.
The Quality Standards provide a shared understanding of what is expected in aged care, and are a valuable resource for older Australians, their families, providers and staff alike.
To find out more about the revised Aged Care Quality Standards and have your say, please register for an online focus group, read the consultation paper(s), view our webinar and complete the survey.
Read more:
Aged Care Quality Standards Consultation
Revised Aged Care Quality Standards – Detailed draft for public consultation (.pdf)
Revised Aged Care Quality Standards – summary draft for public consultation (.pdf)
Consultation Paper – Detailed Aged Care Quality Standards Review (.pdf)
Consultation Paper – Aged Care Quality Standards Review (.pdf)
Evaluation of the Aged Care Quality Standards – Evaluation report (.pdf)
Independent evaluation of the Aged Care Quality Standards – Summary (.pdf)
Review of the Aged Care Quality Standards
Survey and consultation papers: revised Aged Care Quality Standards
Services Australia previously advised the quarterly review of residential care fees was scheduled to be run on 15 October 2022.
The quarterly review will not be run on this date, due to ongoing claims quality checking and the cautious approach Services Australia is taking to the new Aged Care Payment System.
We will advise once a future date is determined.
Further information for Residential Care is available on the Services Australia website.
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