News

Did you know there is a direct connection between style of governance, culture and leadership and the quality and safety of care received by older Australians?

As aged care leaders you have a role in a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build your team’s confidence and expertise in leading sector transformation.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has launched a new initiative for aged care boards and executives to set the agenda for change investing in the skills, mindsets and capabilities to govern for reform.

Register now to find out how you can be involved in leading and rebuilding trust in the aged care sector.

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Governing for reform in aged care

Complete a survey here

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

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COVID-19 in Aged Care: Infection Prevention Control (IPC) (.pdf)

COVID-19 booster vaccination information for residential aged care workers (.pdf)

COVID-19 booster vaccination information for residents of aged care facilities (.pdf)

Commonwealth Permissions and Restrictions for Workers in Aged Care – Interim Guidance (.pdf)

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

COVID-19 vaccination – What to expect on COVID-19 vaccination day at your residential aged care facility (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Consent guidance material for residential aged care (.pdf)

COVID-19 vaccination – Vaccine doses policy (.pdf)

Frequently asked questions on mandatory vaccination and reporting for in-home and community aged care providers (.pdf)

Booster vaccination Information kit for residential aged care providers (.pdf)

Scope of vaccine services for the residential aged care booster program (.pdf)

2021 Basic Daily Fee Supplement (.pdf)

Aged care funding instrument (ACFI) monitoring report – September 2021 (.pdf)

Instrument to determine the number transition care places available for allocation in 2021-22 and 2022-23 (.pdf)

Development of Aged Care Quality Indicators – Summary Report (.pdf)

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission new and updated resources.

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New consumers and restrictive practices – fact sheet (.pdf)

Notice of collection (.pdf)

Consumer engagement in aged care – Survey report (.pdf)

ACQSC Consumer engagement in aged care – Literature review (.pdf)

Working with aged care consumers – Resource (.pdf)

Reporting serious incidents: Practical tips for providers when making a notification (.pdf)

Reporting serious incidents: Using a problem solving approach to enhance effective incident management (.pdf)

Sector Performance Data: 1 July to 30 September 2021 (.pdf)

What we learned from COVID-19 outbreaks in 2021 – fact sheet (.pdf)

SIRS provider roundtable outcomes summary (December 2021) (.pdf)

The Australian Government recognises the hard work of the in-home and community aged care sector throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and their continued efforts to provide necessary services to senior Australians to stay safely in their homes.

The Government is taking action to ensure adequate supply of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) for the community including those providing and receiving in-home care. The Government continues to assess the need for additional measures for high risk groups in light of the current Omicron outbreak.

Providers may choose to conduct testing of direct care home care workers as part of their COVID Safe plan, to ensure the ongoing provision of safe care for senior Australians. Home Care Package (HCP) providers who test home care workers can access support to cover the costs of purchasing RAT kits for this purpose.

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Rapid Antigen Tests for Home Care Packages Program

Published by: Victor Harcourt, Solomon Miller, Anita Courtney, Connor Farrell

As part of the federal government’s response to the Aged Care Royal Commission, a second update of legislative amendments have been proposed. The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 (the Bill), which passed through the House of Representatives last year, will make changes to eight key areas, including the governance of approved providers (APs), the screening of aged care workers and governing persons of APs, a new code of conduct, and the extension of incident management and reporting.

While the Bill, if passed, will make changes to a wide range of areas, this article focuses only on the proposed changes to the governance requirements relating to the governing bodies and key personnel of APs as well as new powers of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner (Commissioner) to request information relating to refundable deposits or accommodation bonds (RADs) used to make loans.

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New governance and accountability requirements for approved providers

The department has developed additional fact sheets to help providers of Assistance with Care and Housing, Sector Support and Development and Specialised Support Services understand and prepare for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) 2022 23 extension and transition to the Support at Home Program from 1 July 2023.

These fact sheets will be distributed to providers shortly as part of their indicative letter of offer for the 2022 23 extension.

The fact sheets are now also published on the department’s website:

• CHSP fact sheet – Assistance with Care and Housing providers
• CHSP fact sheet – Sector Support and Development providers
• CHSP fact sheet – Specialised Support Services providers

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Aged Care Alert: CHSP 2022-23 extension: Fact sheets available

CHSP fact sheet – Assistance with Care and Housing providers (.pdf)

CHSP fact sheet – Sector Support and Development providers (.pdf)

CHSP fact sheet – Specialised Support Services providers (.pdf)

NSW Health released new guidance for testing protocols for NSW residential aged care facilities (RACFs) with a COVID-19 outbreak or exposure. The purpose of the protocol is to provide a clear framework for testing requirements.

NSW Health may provide specific testing directions for COVID-19 exposures or outbreaks in residential aged care. However, the testing protocol provides a guidance framework to support RACFs to actively self-manage their testing requirements.

Consistent with the recent National Cabinet decision in relation to PCR testing requirements, the testing protocol makes recommendations in relation to both PCR testing and Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT).

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NSW Health releases new guidance for COVID testing protocols in RACFs

NSW Health – Protocol for RAT and PCR testing in residential aged care

Key information on some of this evolving work is set out below:

• Booster clinics for residential aged care
• Updated interim guidance for the aged care workforce
• PPE and Rapid Antigen Tests for outbreak sites
• Update on SONIC testing services
• Reporting on workers’ booster shots to become mandatory

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Protecting Older Australians: COVID-19 Update – 7 January 2022

Applications are open for the Business Improvement Fund Round 2 through GrantConnect.

To be eligible, providers must include independent business advice as part of their application either from:

• our free, independent and confidential Business Advisory Service, apply by 21 January 2022, or
• another business advisory service.

Alternatively, outcomes from the department’s Aged Care Financial Monitoring and Business Assistance team can be used.

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Aged Care Alert: Business Improvement Fund Round 2 – include independent advice

The Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, has approved an interim framework to support safe assessment and decision making when determining whether to place work restrictions on residential aged care workers. The framework supports decisions based on the context of the exposure low-risk (social contact), high-risk (household or household like), and workplace exposure.

This guidance follows the updated advice on the definition of contacts issued by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (here). The changes should assist in managing workforce, noting the challenges many providers are facing given the increasing number of cases in the community.

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Update – Interim Guidance on managing workforce in regards to COVID-19 in residential aged care facilities