News

News about the reforms:

• More nurses now eligible for Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment
• Get involved: Aged care services encouraged to pilot new quality measures
• Support at Home Assessment Trial Living Lab and Advisory Group

Other news:

• Have your say: improving communications with the home services sector
• Survey closing soon: My Aged Care screening and assessment training
• Congratulations to “Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds”
• Centre for Cultural Diversity webinar series
• Pacific Labour Scheme workforce: webinar recording available
• Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program (NSW)

For residential care providers:

• Apply now: Business Improvement Fund Round 2
• Choices for younger people living in residential aged care

For home care providers:

• Improved Payment Arrangements: January key tips

Read more:

Aged Care Alert: Information for the Aged Care Sector Newsletter – Issue #2022/01 (.pdf)

This Alert was previously published in ACSA Weekly.

Copyright is not usually high on the list of concerns for retirement village operators and providers of residential aged care. However, it is raising concerns in connection with the screening of films for residents. There is some confusion as to when operators and providers need to obtain a licence to avoid infringing copyright laws.

This Alert provides important information regarding when your retirement village or aged care facility may need to obtain a licence and how to go about it.

Read more:

Movies in Residential Aged Care and Retirement Villages – Do I need a licence to screen a film for residents?

In this edition:

• COVID-19 vaccination boosters in residential aged care facilities
• Benefits of a COVID-19 booster vaccine for senior Australian
• Support with costs managing COVID-19
• Update from the ACT Chief Health Officer – 18 January 2022

Read more:

Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update – 21 January 2022

In this edition:

• Interim Guidance on managing public health restrictions on residential aged care facilities
• Interim Guidance on permissions and restrictions for workers in aged care
• Boosters to be mandatory for all residential aged care workers across Australia
• ATAGI – new definition on ‘up-to-date’ status for COVID-19 vaccination
• New HealthDirect Line for residential aged care facilities managing COVID-19
• Rapid Antigen Test Kits – update on supply for residential aged care facilities
• Streamlined changes to reporting a COVID-19 outbreak or exposure in residential aged care
• Factsheet on managing your workforce affected by Omicron
• Oral antivirals for RACFs – link to webinar held on Monday 7 February 2022

Read more:

Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update – 21 January 2022

A list of new and updated resources – including apps, audio and video resources and other publications – about aged care.

Read more:

Benefits of a COVID-19 booster vaccine for senior Australians (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Guidance for residential aged care providers on reporting resident and workforce COVID-19 vaccinations (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Guidance for in-home and community aged care providers on reporting workforce COVID-19 vaccinations (.pdf)

Aged Care Council of Elders – Council member profiles (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination data – In-home care vaccination rates (.xlsx)

COVID-19 vaccination – Commonwealth Home Support Programme workforce vaccination rates (.xlsx)

National summary of home care prices – September 2021 (.pdf)

Support at Home Program Overview – Summary for senior Australians, their family and carers (.pdf)

Updated COVID-19 guidance for NSW Aged Care Providers

Guidance for in-home and community aged care sub-contractors on mandatory reporting of the COVID-19 vaccination status of staff (.pdf)

The Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck together with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, Janet Anderson, have today issued a joint letter to residential aged care providers to personally encourage all aged care residents and staff to get their COVID booster vaccination.

There are several options available for approved providers to access boosters for residents and staff:

• Commonwealth in-reach vaccination clinics
• self-managed clinics by providers
• local health service in-reach vaccination (where available)
• individual resident GPs or onsite primary care clinics
• through community pharmacies.

Read more:

COVID-19 vaccination boosters in residential aged care facilities

The Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck together with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, Janet Anderson, issued a joint letter to residential aged care providers to personally encourage all aged care residents and staff to get their COVID booster vaccination.

Read more:

Minister and Commissioner’s letter to residential approved providers – COVID-19 vaccination boosters in residential aged care services (.pdf)

This Incident Management Guide consolidates best practice approaches based on literature reviews and the Australian states’ and territories’ incident management policies.

This guide provides the healthcare workforce with a concise overview of the incident management process and its underlying principles.

Read more:

Incident management guide (.pdf)

COVID Information update

• Booster clinics for residential aged care: Commonwealth vaccine administrators will contact you to confirm your in-reach service
• Rapid Antigen Testing
• PCR Testing and management of close contacts and positive cases
• Staff furlough policies
• Private hospital arrangements
• Australian Government support during an outbreak

Read more:

COVID Information update – Department of Health

In this edition:

• Commissioner’s message
• Creating a quality experience for aged care residents
• Governing for Reform in Aged Care
• Are vitamins included in the polypharmacy quality indicator?
• New safety protocols for field visits
• COVID-19 update – Outbreak preparedness and vaccinations for home services workers
• Have your say on how we communicate with the home services sector
• From the Chief Clinical Advisor – Summer alert
• Alis – the year in review
• New and updated Commission resources

Read more:

Aged Care Quality Bulletin #36 – December 2021