News

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission new and updated resources.

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RB 2021-15: Plan for continuous improvement requirements (.pdf)

To Dip or Not to Dip flyer (.pdf)

In this edition:

• COVID-positive staff must not work in residential aged care facilities
• Reminder: Home Care Package providers can access grant funding for COVID-19 vaccination support
• Recording of webinar for NSW residential aged care providers available online
• SA Health – Interim guidance for COVID-19 outbreak management

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Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update – 27 January 2022

The Morrison Government has welcomed the first meeting of the Aged Care Council of Elders.

A key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Government established the Council of Elders as part of new governance arrangements arising from our aged care reforms.

The role of the council will be to consult with senior Australians to provide advice to Ministers on a range of matters including aged care quality and safety, the needs of senior Australians and their families and carers and the rights and dignity of senior Australians.

Attending the first meeting today, Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the Council of Elders will play a critical role in making sure that those most central to the aged care system, senior Australians, have significant input into shaping the future of aged care.

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Bringing the voices of senior Australians to the centre of aged care reform