News

The Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP has written a letter to the aged care workforce about the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

On 16 September 2018, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the Government’s decision to establish a Royal Commission into the aged care sector.

The Government is seeking your feedback to develop the detailed Terms of Reference of the Royal Commission. Comments are open to members of the community, including residents and their families, aged care providers and aged care workers. Consultation is open until Tuesday 25 September 2018.

Please see the Minister’s letter (104 KB) for your consideration and distribution to your staff and colleagues.

Further information about the Royal Commission, including how to subscribe to receive updates, is available on the department’s website.

Read more:

An Open Letter to the Aged Care Workforce (.pdf)

Royal Commission into the aged care sector

Consultation to develop the detailed Terms of Reference for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

Announcement of Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

In these issues:

• Dementia Awareness Month – September 2018
• My Health Record opt-out period extended
• Aged Care Regional, Rural and Remote Infrastructure Grants now open
• Reminder: draft single Charter of Aged Care Rights consultation has begun

Home Care:

• Mandatory publication of home care pricing information

Residential Care:

• Quick Reference Guide: ACFI review and reconsideration process
• Unmonitored medical alarm upgrade offer by NBN Co
• Nurse Practitioners now able to diagnose for Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) appraisals

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue 2018/15 (.pdf)

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue 2018/16 (.pdf)

In the 2018-2019 Budget, the Australian Government announced funding of $40 million for infrastructure investment in regional, rural and remote aged care.

The department is inviting applications from existing approved residential and home care providers in regional, rural and remote areas. Commonwealth Home Support Programme services will also be considered, where there is exceptional need.

The Aged Care Regional, Rural and Remote Infrastructure Grant opportunity is a competitive application process, to apply for grants up to $500,000 per service.

Read more:

Aged Care Regional, Rural and Remote Infrastructure Grants – Applications now open

Grant Opportunity Application Form

Today the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, announced the opening of public consultation on the draft single Charter of Aged Care Rights (the Charter). A single Charter will help to create a shared understanding about the rights of people receiving aged care.

The consultation closes on Wednesday, 10 October 2018.

Read more:

Seeking your views on a draft single Charter of Aged Care Rights

Consultation Hub: The draft Charter of Aged Care Rights

As discussed at the User Group Meetings last week there are some cases where after updating to the recent 2018-2019 ACFI Rates Version Update (5.5.56290.0 or higher) you may still have ACFI’s waiting to submit to Medicare via our B2B link.

These scenarios are where your ACFI is for an ‘Initial’ appraisal where the Payment Start Date will be backdated and commencing in May/June (when their admission was) and therefore will need the old rates up until 30 June and then require the new rates applied from 1 July.

We are aware of this and have a solution in place for you to update the ACFI rate for these specific cases once it has been Accepted by Medicare.

If you are running v5.5.57200.0 or higher then you can do this yourself. In this version, we highlight any Current ACFI appraisals that are still using the old rates in red text. When you select these Current appraisals you will find a new option within the Add button called Copy using latest rate. This new function will allow you to update your Current ACFI that has been Accepted by Medicare and roll forward to use the new 1 July 2018 rates.

Note: If you have one of these scenarios and are unsure what to do then please contact the Manad Plus Help Desk for support.

P: 1300 MANAD2 (1300 62 62 32)

E: support@manad.com.au

The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency has released a new issue of their ‘Quality Standard’ newsletter.

In this issue…

• Key facts and resources: Unannounced Re-accreditation Audits
• New webinars: quality reforms
• Your Feedback: Standards Guidance
• Preparing for the new standards
• Survey and guidelines: dementia and decision-making
• Survey: Spiritual Care in Aged Care guidelines
• Pain in aged care

Read more:

‘Quality Standard’ newsletter (.pdf)

In Case You Missed It – Below are links to recent articles on Aged Care and Healthcare that may be of interest:

Peaks call for funding to match care costs

Workforce strategy now in Government’s hands

What facilities need to know before installing CCTV

For-profit aged care providers defend their financial practices

Nurse-led model that improves acute care for residents to be expanded

Inquiry told sustainability of aged care sector vulnerable under current funding system

In this issue:

• National Advance Care Directive Prevalence Study 2018
• National palliative care projects
• Reminder: please use ‘My Aged Care’ not ‘MAC’
• Blindness and vision impairment
• Transition to new Aged Care Quality Standards

Residential Care:

• Quality Indicator Program: end of quarter four 2017 18
• NDIS Commission start dates and Code of Conduct
• Updated consumer booklet – Steps to enter an aged care home

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue 2018/12 (.pdf)

Transition to the Aged Care Quality Standards (the Standards) has begun. Subject to parliamentary processes, assessment and monitoring against the new Standards will start from 1 July 2019.

A copy of the exposure draft of the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Single Quality Framework) Principles 2018, which contains the new Standards, is available on the department’s website.

Read more:

Transition to the new Aged Care Quality Standards

Single set of quality standards – the Aged Care Quality Standards

In this issue:

• 2018-19 Aged Care Approvals Round now open
• Participate in the National Guidelines for Spiritual Care in Aged Care Survey
• Australian of the Year Awards 2019

Home Care:

• New unspent funds in home care factsheet
• Improving home care package pricing transparency and comparability

Residential Care:

• Participate in the 2018 Aged Care National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (acNAPS)
• Remind residents to advise DHS/DVA of lump sum accommodation payments
• Update to ACFI FAQs: the Seven Day Rule and CHC compression garments

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue 2018/11 (.pdf)