News

In this edition:

• Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) statement on the national COVID-19 response for residential aged care facilities
• Reinforcement of Australia’s aged care sector with additional funding
• National Aged Care Emergency Response Program
• Victorian Aged Care Response Centre Hub
• Older persons COVID-19 support line
• Updated NSW Health advice for aged care providers

Resources:

• Guide to the Establishment of an Aged Care Health Emergency Response Operations Centre
• ICEG have updated the current Guidelines on the use of face shields and other protective eyewear in health and residential care facilities.
• Newmarch House Review Findings Media Release and letter to Aged Care Providers from Minister Colbeck

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COVID-19 Update – 26 August 2020

Published by: Anita Courtney, Victor Harcourt and Johanna Heaven

With Victoria’s COVID-19 cases on a slow decline, Stay at Home Directions are said to be in place for at least another three weeks. Whilst staying at home is nothing new to Victorians who have faced the harshest restrictions in the country, many aged care providers are not aware that these Directions apply to their residents. The implications of these Directions applying to aged care mean that residents should not be leaving their aged care homes, even if it is to temporarily live with their family.

Read more:

Managing leave in residential aged care during Victoria’s lockdown

Set out below is a selection of the submissions that were received from organisations and individuals addressing key questions raised in Consultation Paper 2.

The Royal Commission has received a number of submissions on financing aged care, following a request for submissions made by the Commissioners in Consultation Paper 2. Some information has been redacted by the Royal Commission.

These submissions are published without any adoption or endorsement by the Royal Commission and without any comment by the Royal Commission on the material contained in them.

Read more:

Consultation Paper 2 submissions

Below is a list of updated and new COVID Documents from the Department of Health.

Read more:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) National Aged Care Emergency Response briefing pack for providers (.pdf)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) National Aged Care Emergency Response briefing pack for workers (.pdf)

Aged Care Workforce Retention Payment: September 2020 Variation Request and Declaration Form (.pdf)

Eligible Aged Care Worker Staffing Profile Spreadsheet (.xlsx)

Aged Care Workforce Retention Grant Opportunity Guidelines: Addendum number 2 (.pdf)

Aged Care Workforce Retention Grant Opportunity Guidelines: Addendum number 1 (.pdf)

Aged Care Workforce Retention Grant Opportunity Guidelines (.pdf)

Guide to the establishment of an aged care health emergency response operations centre (.pdf)

Victorian Aged Care Response Centre – key contacts for families of aged care residents (.pdf)

In this edition:

• Commissioner’s message
• Online self-assessment survey
• Identifying key personnel and roles during an outbreak
• Wearing of face shields
• Cohorting Consumers with COVID-19
• The Commission’s regulatory activities
• New COVID-19 resources for consumers
• Better use of medications in aged care
• Provider management of risks to consumers who live at home
• Assessing the Standards – residential aged care services
• A free sign language interpreting service
• Dementia Australia National Symposium moves to free webinar series
• Resources
• Innovative consumer engagement
• Q and A – Talking success stories!

Read more:

Aged Care Quality Bulletin #21 – July/August 2020

This fact sheet explains how to manage clinical waste from coronavirus (COVID-19), and arrange for collections in various workplace settings.

Read more:

1901: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Disposing clinical waste (.pdf)

Under the Aged Care Quality Standards (Quality Standards) in the Aged Care Act 1997, every aged care provider is responsible for ensuring that they have sufficient staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide safe, respectful and quality care and services. Providers are also responsible for ensuring that staff have the necessary training, including in infection control practices and procedures, and in the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves, face masks, face shields and gowns.

The Commission is undertaking unannounced assessment contacts with residential aged care services through site visits to services. The focus of the site visit is to observe infection control defences at the service to prevent transmission and to recognise and respond to symptoms of COVID-19; this is to ensure that everyone is adhering to infection control arrangements including safe PPE protocols.

Read more:

Infection Control Spot Checks

Infection Control Spot Checks (.pdf)

Below is a list of updated and new Documents from the Department of Health, including COVID Resources.

Read more:

Aged care facilities – contact details template (.xlsx)

Aged care facilities – initial communications (.pdf)

Aged care facilities – establishing communications (.pdf)

Aged care facilities – ongoing communications (.pdf)

Dementia Discovery (link)

Restrictive practices: understanding and managing behaviours in a time of pandemic (link)

Aged Care Financial Monitoring and Business Assistance fact sheet (.pdf)

ICEG guidelines on cleaning and disinfection of protective eyewear in health and residential care facilities (.pdf)

New research shows Australia could immediately establish independent, transparent, routine monitoring and public reporting of many aspects of aged care quality outcomes similar to leading countries like Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA. Currently the Australian Government has no care quality outcome reporting for home care and reports on only three indicators for residential care.

The research, which was performed by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), shows a large range of quality outcome indicators can be produced from existing data without any burden to aged care providers. This includes indicators for medication-related quality of care, falls and fractures, hospital re-admissions, hospitalisation for dementia/delirium, pain, premature mortality, pressure injury, utilisation of care plans and medication reviews, and weight loss/malnutrition.

The SAHMRI research was conducted for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The findings are presented in Research Paper 8 – International and National Quality and Safety Indicators for Aged Care.

Read more:

Research Paper 8 – International and National Quality and Safety Indicators for Aged Care (.pdf)

The Australian Government today releases the review findings into the spread of COVID-19 at Sydney aged care facility Newmarch House.

In offering further condolences to the families of the 19 residents who died as a result of the outbreak between April and June, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck said lessons learned are being implemented to offer greater protections as we continue to combat the pandemic.

“The outbreak at Anglicare’s Newmarch House was incredibly challenging and underlined the impact this infection can have within an aged care facility,” Minister Colbeck said.

Read more:

Release of Newmarch House review

Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck Letter (.pdf)

Newmarch House COVID-19 Outbreak Independent Review – Final Report (.pdf)

NSW Health response to Newmarch House independent review (.pdf)