News

The quality of aged care provided to senior Australians will be significantly strengthened as Government measures come into effect today.

From 1 January 2020, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will be bolstered with additional functions and responsibilities to safeguard the sector into the future, supported by a series of targeted investments aimed at improving compliance and quality.

In addition, new restrictions for prescriptions of the drug Risperidone today mark a tangible step toward reducing the level of chemical restraint used in aged care.

The changes support the Government’s initial response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s Interim Report.

Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck said while important Government reforms – including the development of a new funding model – would continue, waiting for the final recommendations from the Royal Commission was vital to ensure long-term sustainable change.

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Important changes to improve the quality of aged care start today

The Aged Care Legislation Amendment (New Commissioner Functions) Bill 2019 takes effect from 1 January 2020.

The following functions transition to the Commission:

• aged care compliance and enforcement actions
• compulsory reporting of assaults
• prudential compliance operations
• approving all residential and home care providers
• home care compliance and investigations.

These functions build on the Commission’s existing responsibilities for:

• complaints resolution
• the accreditation, assessment and monitoring of aged care services.

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Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission role expands

Aged Care Legislation Amendment (New Commissioner Functions) Bill 2019

In this edition:

• Commissioner message
• New independent analysis of consumers’ aged care experiences
• Changes to our Assessment methodology now in effect
• From the Chief Clinical Advisor
• New storyboards illustrate the Standards
• Assessing the Standards workshops
• Commission website updates
• Sector news

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Aged Care Quality Bulletin #12, Dec 2019

In addition to the changes to our assessment methodology announced in October’s Quality Bulletin, a new requirement relating to key documents also came into effect on Monday 9 December 2019.

Providers will now be requested to make key documents and information available at the commencement of performance assessments. There is an information sheet on the key documents in the Resources section of our website. It is expected that these documents will be provided to the Assessment Team within one hour of the conclusion of the entry meeting. Early access to this information by the team supports increased effectiveness of time on site.

The other changes announced in October included the introduction of evidence domains for the purpose of collecting and organising evidence during a performance assessment. The use of evidence domains will guide who the Assessment Teams select for interview, the questions asked, the observations made, the documents reviewed, which types of evidence are pursued and lines of inquiry.

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Changes to our Assessment methodology now in effect

Information sheet for providers – Initial documents requested (.pdf)

Regulatory Bulletin – Aged Care Quality Standards performance assessment methodology 5.2 (.docx)

Improvements in quality assessment methodology (OCT)

Regional, rural and remote communities and patients across Australia will benefit from changes that begin on 1 January 2020 that will support more doctors, allied health professionals, nurses and Aboriginal health practitioners to work in country areas.

The changes are key elements of the Coalition Government’s $550 million Stronger Rural Health Strategy, which is delivering 3000 new doctors and 3000 more nurses into regional areas to better care for country patients, in addition to a number of other initiatives.

“The Government is working to support more doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to live and work in rural, regional and remote areas,” Minister Coulton said.

Minister Coulton said the three new initiatives that begin on 1 January are:

• The Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) which supports doctors and clinics to employ nurses, allied health professionals and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners to ensure patients can get help when they need it;
• The Bonded Medical Program which offers medical students with a Commonwealth Supported Place in a medical course at an Australian university in return for their commitment to work in certain regions once they have graduated; and
• Changes to rural bulk billing incentives that will ensure rural rebates are not being accessed by city clinics.

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Delivering a stronger rural health workforce

The Commission has recently developed a series of storyboards to assist consumers, staff and other people interacting with aged care services within a rural and remote context to better understand the application of the Quality Standards in a day-to-day context.

Each of the storyboards shows an illustrated scenario that explains how each of the Standards apply, and they have been written with a rural and remote context in mind. As well as a storyboard for the Standards, there are two key concept additional storyboards that illustrate ‘Dignity of risk’ and ‘Open disclosure’.

The storyboards can be used by facilitators when training staff, or by aged care services to help explain the concepts underpinning the Quality Standards to consumers or their representatives.

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New storyboards illustrate the Standards

Standards storyboards (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 1 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 2 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 3 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 4 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 5 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 6 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 7 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Standard 8 (.pdf)

Storyboard – Quality Standards (.pdf)

Storyboard – Dignity of risk (.pdf)

Storyboard – Open disclosure (.pdf)

The AN-ACC trial commenced in November 2019, with the first facilities commencing assessments on 25 November 2019.

The department has recruited four assessment organisations to manage the trial assessors:

• Access Care Network Australia
• Aspire4Life
• Care Tasmania
• Healthcare Australia

As at 17 December 2019, 620 assessments have been uploaded to the department across all states. Territories will commence early in 2020.

Read more:

Update on the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) Trial

Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC): Factsheet (.pdf)

New content added to:

• Standard 1f
• Standard 2a
• Standard 2b
• Standard 2d
• Glossary – Advance care directive
• Glossary – Advance care planning
• Standard 5b

New Resources for:

• Advance care planning
• Clinical care
• Consumer-centred care
• Medication safety

New:

• online format to increase navigation and accessibility

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Updates to Guidance and Resources for Providers to support the Aged Care Quality Standards

Senior Australians in areas of need will benefit from the availability of new government subsidised aged care places released as part of the 2020 Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR).

Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said the Government is committed to delivering further targeted aged care places and investment in quality building-stock.

Ten thousand new residential care places and 750 short-term restorative care spots will be offered under the 2020 ACAR.

Another $60 million will be used to assist residential aged care providers with building works.

A targeted stakeholder consultation for the 2020 ACAR starts today and remains open until January 31, 2020.

“The consultations will help identify unmet needs for residential aged care in terms of both geographic locations and the types of people whose needs should be targeted,” Minister Colbeck said.

“Increasing the number of residential places in areas where they are in short supply will help to ensure people have a safe option, as close to home as possible.

“We also want to make sure that care is accessible for people who may be missing out — whether it’s because they are homeless, they have dementia, or they come from different cultural backgrounds.”

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Meeting future demand for residential aged care places

The Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck, announced today that thousands of new aged care places will be made available for allocation to approved providers in 2020.

The 2020 Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR) will offer:

• 10,000 residential aged care places
• 750 short-term restorative care places
• up to $60 million in capital grants for residential aged care.

The application period will open in March 2020 and close in May 2020.

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2020 ACAR announced – Have your say

Consultation Hub – 2020 ACAR – Identifying Residential Aged Care Needs

2020 Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR)