News

Please find attached a letter from the Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer to Residential Aged Care Providers regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The letter addresses the importance of infection control and health emergency planning in residential care. Providers are encouraged to consider and share the letter with your services.

Further information about Coronavirus (COVID-19) is available on the department’s website

Read more:

Letter from the Chief Medical Officer regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Residential Aged Care Infection Control and Emergency Planning (.pdf)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) health alert

Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (.pdf)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for residents of residential care services and family members (.pdf)

In this edition:

• Deadline for submissions
• Please share your story with us
• Aged Care Royal Commission 2020 Hearings
• About the Royal Commission Interim Report
• The Final Report
• Royal Commission Workshops: Explained
• FAQs

Read more:

Aged Care Royal Commissions Newsletter – Issue 4 – January 2020 (.pdf)

The Business Improvement Fund gives short-term targeted grants to eligible aged care providers who are at risk of severe financial difficulty ensuring the need of senior Australians are met. It prioritises those in rural and remote areas and providers who were affected by bushfires.

Read more:

Business Improvement Fund for Residential Care fact sheet (.pdf)

This information is for aged care providers.

It supplements the ACFI user guide and helps providers to complete the ACFI assessment.

This fact sheet includes information on:

• the ACFI assessment tools
• the 7 day rule
• checklist items 12.4a and b: complex pain management
• checklist item 12.12: arthritis and oedema

Read more:

Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) – additional information (.pdf)

The Royal Commission held a public hearing in Adelaide on Friday 21 February, 2020. At this public hearing, the Royal Commission continued its inquiry into questions around workforce raised during Melbourne Hearing 3, and the Royal Commission’s call for submissions on the topic of workforce in October 2019.

The Royal Commission invites submissions in response to Counsel Assisting’s submissions on the future of the aged care workforce made on 21 February 2020. The final date to provide submissions in response is Friday, 13 March 2020.

Read more:

The future of the aged care workforce (.pdf)

The complete transcript from Friday 21 February 2020 hearing of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is now available to read on the Commission website.

Read more:

Adelaide Hearing 3 – 21 February 2020 – Transcript (.pdf)

Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck said the provision of services for senior Australians remained a priority and investment in the My Aged Care website remained key to delivering care to those who need it most.

Minister Colbeck said myagedcare.gov.au and its helpline remained a vital link for loved ones and their families.

“The contact centre has a strong record of answering calls quickly,” Minister Colbeck said.

“The average time to answer a call is less than 30 seconds.

“In the first half of 2019-20 the proportion of calls that went unanswered fell to less than two per cent.”

In addition to the contact centre and website, My Aged Care supports assessors, advocates, system navigators and health professionals to provide face-to-face information and guidance to older people and their families to help them access aged care services.

For example:

• $7.4 million has been invested in system navigator trials to understand how we can better help people access aged care services. We remain focused as the important work of the Royal Commission continues and anticipate its final recommendations on November 12.
• A further $10 million has been committed for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) system navigator services.
• In 2018-19, the assessment workforce completed over 440,000 face-to-face assessments to support older Australians seeking aged care services.

Read more:

Ensuring senior Australians can access the support they need

In this issue:

• Revised webinar date: Update on new aged care assessment arrangements
• Aged Care Website Update – ACFI fact sheets
• National trial of PainChek

Read more:

Information for the Aged Care Sector – Issue 2020/2 (.pdf)

The department is seeking information from all aged care providers to help understand and project the demand for, and supply of, palliative care services in the future.

This information will support the department’s analysis of Australia’s palliative care workforce and guide future planning for palliative care services.

The survey seeks to identify:

• the profile of palliative care services within aged care
• the types of palliative care services delivered by aged care services
• details of the workforce at each service by discipline
• issues relating to workforce recruitment for staff delivering palliative care.
• The department encourages all palliative care providers to complete the anonymous survey.

To complete the survey, please access the links below. The survey closes on 13 March 2020.

Read more:

Palliative care workforce survey

Palliative Care Services Survey

Updated factsheets are available for aged care staff, residents and families with the latest advice on measures to limit the transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019 nCoV).

The fact sheet for residents and families is also available in simplified Chinese and English.

Advice sent to you on 31 January 2020 has also been updated. The Australian Government is now advising any person who has left, or transited through, mainland China on, or after, 1 February 2020 to isolate themselves at their home until 14 days after leaving China.

Read more:

Latest information on Novel Coronavirus – updated fact sheets for aged care workers, residents and families

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for residents of residential care services and family members (.pdf)