News

News about the reforms:

• Webinar: Home Care Packages (HCP) Program Assurance Reviews
• Register for the HCP Program Assurance Community of Practice
• Upcoming HCP Program Assurance Reviews
• Webinar: Consumer Experience Interviews – Star Ratings
• Food and nutrition reporting is changing
• Aged Care Financial Report submission and helpdesk
• AN-ACC funding estimator
• Webinar: Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) update

Other news:

• Changes to the Aged Care Pricing Commissioner function
• Update your provider information on My Aged Care: Provider Summary and Service Information
• Diversity Coaching Workshop: The Inclusive Service Standards for Beginners
• Register now: Governing for Reform in Aged Care program and webinar
• Aged Care Learning Information System (Alis): Free trial
• Employer Engagement Webinars: Attracting workers into aged care
• Webinar: Grief and Loss
• Vision Australia webinar: Understanding low vision and blindness
• Webinar recording: Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing Free Translations in Aged Care
• Reminder: Take part in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s project

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update: Issue 16, 2022 (.pdf)

Commonwealth vaccination in-reach clinics are available to facilities unable to secure a primary care provider or conduct a self-run on-site vaccination clinic.

The Department is extending its Expression of Interest (EOI) process for COVID-19 in-reach vaccination clinics until 31 December 2022.

This will allow any residents who were unable to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations over winter due to various reasons to catch up with their COVID-19 vaccination schedule.

We encourage providers to register your interest for an in-reach clinic: Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic – Registration Form.

The Department has written to residential aged care providers, please read the letter for further details on the extension of these clinics.

Read more:

COVID-19 vaccination in-reach clinics extended

Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic – Registration Form

Commonwealth COVID-19 in-reach clinics extended until 31 December (.pdf)

The Labor Albanese Government has held an Aged Care Workforce Pre-Jobs Summit Roundtable with more than 20 stakeholders in Parliament House, to better understand the practical solutions needed in the aged care sector.

The Aged Care Workforce Pre-Jobs Summit Roundtable was attended by universities, unions, advisory councils, providers, community services, and advocate groups.

Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, led the roundtable with Morris Iemma facilitating.

The event provided an opportunity for the sector to contribute to the Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit and the Employment White Paper.

Major topics discussed in the three-hour session included how to boost job security, making aged care an attractive place to work, access to education and training, the role of migration in aged care and creating innovation in the industry.

Read more:

Aged care roundtable advances practical solutions

Ambulance Victoria is introducing the Residential Aged Care Enhanced Response (RACER) pathway for triaging Triple Zero (000) calls for people living in aged care homes.

Under RACER, a Referral Services Triage Practitioner will request an ambulance or, where appropriate, will refer patients to alternative services such as Residential-In-Reach or the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED).

Launched in February, VVED is a video telehealth medical consultation service that provides clinical assessment, care and support for those patients who don’t need urgent emergency care for certain patient cohorts. Under RACER, this service will be expanded to enable Ambulance Victoria’s Triage Services to refer patients from residential aged care homes.

Read more:

Ambulance Victoria’s responses to Triple Zero calls from aged care homes

Home Care Package (HCP) providers must issue each care recipient a monthly statement showing their available funds, how the funds are being spent and the amount of unspent funds.

Previously, providers needed to include the total provider-held unspent funds for current and previous payment periods in the monthly statement.

From the September 2022 payment period, you must split out the unspent funds into the:

• Commonwealth portion of provider-held funds
• care recipient portion of provider-held funds, and
• home care account balance.

Read more:

Aged Care Alert: Home Care Package monthly statements are changing

Monthly Statement Resources

Provider Guide Better Practice Home Care Package Statement (.pdf)

On 2 August, the Australian Government passed the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022. The first legislation to pass in the new Parliament, the Bill implements nine measures to improve aged care and responds to 17 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

The Bill establishes the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN ACC) funding model, a new Code of Conduct and banning orders, and extends the Serious Incident Response Scheme to all in-home care providers. It also extends the functions of the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority, which will lead to better price-setting for aged care.

Other measures enshrine transparency and accountability of approved providers, and improve quality of care and safety for older Australians receiving aged care services.

A second piece of aged care legislation, the Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022, was introduced on 27 July and is before the House of Representatives.

Read more:

Aged Care Alert: Passage of aged care legislation

Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022

Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022

Services Australia is upgrading their Aged Care Payment System (ACPS) on 20 August 2022. This is a reminder that claims can no longer be lodged from 8 August 2022 until the ACPS is implemented on 20 August 2022 and that from that date there will be a new emergency leave claiming type.

All claims

Please note: you have until 5pm on Wednesday 10 August 2022 to submit events (entry, leave, departures etc.).

View only periods in the online channels:

• Claims will be view only from 8 to 19 August 2022 inclusive.
• Events will be view only from 11 to 19 August 2022 inclusive.

Read more:

Aged Care Alert: Aged Care Payment System update (cut off 5pm today) and Emergency Leave

In this edition:

• Commissioner’s message
• Serious Incident Response Scheme – important resource updates
• Quality and safety in home services risks in focus: Organisational governance
• Incident management system essential element #6 – Close the loop
• We want to work with aged care consumers
• Online learning platform (Alis) – free access trial and upgrades
• Our approved provider application fees have been updated
• New and updated Commission resources
• Other resources

Read more:

Aged Care Quality Bulletin #43 – July 2022

We are delighted to offer subscribers’ of Residential Aged Care Communiqué the first opportunity to attend our new Spring Series of Webinars. The three webinars explore common situations where staff must juggle duty of care with resident autonomy in RACS.

Each webinar presents a case of a premature death with an expert commentary and a multidisciplinary panel discussion.

Balancing Risk and Duty of Care

• Sept 14th: ‘Go away and leave me alone!’ – What do I do when a resident with dementia refuses to eat?

• Oct 19th: ‘But the resident didn’t say he was sick…’ – What should I do about an unwell resident with dementia?

• Nov 16th: ‘Let me eat what I want!’ – What can I do when a resident with dementia eats in a risky way?

Read more:

Invitation to attend Residential Aged Care Communiqué Spring Webinar Education Series

Residential Aged Care Communiqué Spring Webinar Education Series (.pdf)

Webinar Registration

Inadequate wound management is one of the most common clinical complaints received by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission).

This Wound Awareness Week (15-21 August), the Commission is reminding aged care providers of their responsibility to ensure good clinical governance that supports effective wound management.

All aged care staff have a role to play in wound management, but they must be supported by clear processes and guidance from providers. When effective processes are not introduced and followed, aged care residents are more likely to experience poor health outcomes.

Read more:

Avoiding common wound management mistakes

Clinical governance in aged care

Standards for Wound Prevention and Management (Third Edition)