Aged Care Quality Bulletin #65 - May 2024

Group of ethnically diverse elders smiling

Commissioner’s message

Nationally, COVID-19 and influenza cases are on the rise in aged care. As we enter the 2024 winter period, you must remain alert and take action to protect older people and staff.

Vaccination remains the best line of defence in reducing the risk of serious illness and death of aged care residents for both COVID-19 and influenza. However, vaccination rates in residential aged care remain disappointingly low.

Last week, the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly and I wrote to Board Chairs of residential aged care providers to remind them of their responsibilities to ensure that residents have access to recommended vaccine doses as soon as they are eligible, and to have in place robust infection prevention and control practices and procedures. Ensuring residents’ rapid access to oral antivirals to treat a COVID-19 infection must also be part of your planning to reduce the risk of severe illness.

Under Aged Care Quality Standard 3: Personal care and clinical care requirement, aged care providers are also expected to offer staff influenza vaccinations and keep records of these vaccinations.

All residential aged care providers should be self-auditing to ensure they are prepared by using the IPC operational readiness and IPC governance self-assessment checklists. The Commission is heightening its monitoring of provider actions to self-assess readiness and address any gaps without delay.

IPC information resources are available on the Commission’s website, including the IPC guidance tool which allows users to filter the information according to Commonwealth, state and territory specific guidance.

This month we published our latest aged care complaints report prepared by the Complaints Commissioner and her team. The report focuses on home services and is aimed at encouraging and supporting individuals who use these services to raise any concerns directly with their provider and/or with the Commission so that the provider can take prompt action to fix any problems. 

The report reveals that the most common issues that people have with home services relate to 2 main areas – consultation and communication (making up 15% of complaints) and fees and charges (10%).

I recently took the opportunity to explore the report’s contents with some expert panellists in our Getting complaints right webinar. Panellises included Louise Macleod, Complaints Commissioner; Michelle Bampton, Executive Director, Intake and Complaints Resolution Group; Craig Gear, CEO, Older Persons Advocacy Network; and Laree Verra, CEO, Better Together. I encourage you to read the report and watch the recording of the webinar if you missed it. The insights shared are well worth paying attention to, particularly from Laree Verra on how her service enables older people to be heard and heeded.

We have now had the chance to publish resources focusing on the key themes and takeaways from our National Aged Care Provider Conference in April. Over 2,000 people attended in person and virtually to discuss preparations for the new Aged Care Act, strengthened Quality Standards and new regulatory model for aged care. You can read more about the resources we’ve produced in our article below. They include a high-level placemat, a highlights reel from the event, and recordings of all the conference sessions. We are pleased to be able to share these with you, and particularly with those who were unable to attend the event.

Our reports

Complaints Report focused on home services

The Commission has published our latest complaints report – Complaints about aged care home services – Insights for people receiving care.

In this report we share what we have learned from the complaints we receive about home services.

Home services should provide safe and quality care that meets people’s individual needs. Through complaints we can learn about the sorts of issues that come up and provide information about what people should expect from their aged care provider.

If you’re a provider of home services, we encourage you to read the report for the latest data, insights and learnings from the home services sector.

The first part of the report provides an overview of:

  • home services
  • our role
  • the rights of people receiving care and what they can expect.

We have also included information on the complaints we receive and the common issues in home services.

The second part of the report covers how people receiving care can get help and raise concerns. It also explains how we resolve complaints.

This report can help people understand what to expect from their provider, and us, so that they can have an informed view about their care and whether there are any issues they want to identify that require attention.

In addition to working with aged care providers to resolve complaints lodged about their care, the Commission draws on complaints as a key source of intelligence.

Complaints complement information and findings made through the Commission’s other regulatory and education activities and help us to understand what a provider is and is not doing, and whether they’re meeting the standards and complying with the law. This in turn can inform any future regulatory action the Commission may take. 

Complaints about aged care services can be made to the Commission by telephone on 1800 951 822 or by visiting our website. You can also find more information about making a complaint on our website.

Read the full report Complaints about aged care home services – Insights for people receiving care report – July to December 2023.

Webinar on the Complaints Report

We ran a webinar on 21 May for older people, their families and supporters and aged care providers which focused on the key insights of the report. We discussed what is expected of home services providers, and how the Commission can help. This included how we can support people to make complaints and raise concerns about the care they receive. You can watch the webinar recording on our website.

Aged care reform update

National Aged Care Provider Conference 2024 resources

Thank you to everyone who attended and spoke at our National Aged Care Provider Conference 2024 in Adelaide on 23–24 April. We greatly appreciated the level of engagement and feedback. Your involvement will support our work to help the sector prepare for the upcoming new Aged Care Act, strengthened Quality Standards and new regulatory framework.

A total of 977 people from the aged care sector attended the conference in person, with a further 1,071 attendees taking part online. This reflects the level of commitment across the sector to understand the upcoming reforms, what is needed to prepare for them, and how the Commission is here to support you.

We have created a ‘placemat’ that captures the key themes that came out of the conference. You can find the placemat and highlights video on our website conference page. The recordings of all conference sessions and presentation slide decks are also now available on our website.

We will also shortly be publishing a report on the workshops we held the day before the conference. We will let you know when the report is available.

Targeted reviews on refundable deposit management

The Commission is carrying out a targeted review throughout May and June 2024 on how residential providers manage refundable deposits. This initiative is part of our ongoing work to improve providers’ understanding of their financial and prudential responsibilities. These responsibilities are outlined in the Aged Care Act 1997 and the Fees and Payments Principles 2014.

The reviews will target 3 areas:

  1. the use of funds for loans
  2. deductions from refundable deposits
  3. room price approvals and publishing.

The providers we select for the review will need to show how they meet their obligations in these areas. We choose providers based on their financial activities, risk status or randomly.

Targeted reviews focus on a specific issue, or a particular group of providers. They’re a process that helps us assess the aged care sector’s understanding of their financial and prudential obligations.

Reviews also give us an opportunity to educate and support providers. Where we find that a provider is not complying with their obligations, we work with them to fix it.

After these reviews, we will publish an Insights report to share our findings, including how to avoid common errors and achieve compliance.

New consumer advisory body – meeting discussion guide

Are you making the most of your Consumer advisory body? If not, our new resource may help.

Consumer advisory bodies are a provider requirement – they’re also an important and direct link to the people you care for.

Our new discussion guide helps you to get the conversation started on topics such as food choices, co-designed care and complaint processes. The guide ensures that these important discussions are focused and productive. It also encourages your consumer advisory body members to review topics and prepare responses before meetings, which supports constructive discussion.

This resource is designed to streamline your consumer advisory body meetings. It will also help to make sure that you can use the feedback you collect to improve the overall quality of care.

You can find out more about consumer advisory bodies and strategies to strengthen yours on our website.

Latest Compliance Management Insights on reviewing financial performance

As we approach the end of the financial year, our latest Compliance Management Insights post focuses on the importance of providers reviewing their past performance and planning for the new financial year. 

The annual audit of a corporate organisation’s finances is a statutory requirement. It’s also an important opportunity for aged care boards to review their past performance. This includes looking at how their financial strategy for the year ahead will help them to improve the safety and quality of their services. 

Aged care providers work in a complex environment. The needs and expectations of older people and their families can and do change. By reviewing financial results and other key performance indicators, aged care boards can make informed decisions. This approach also reduces risks and encourages transparency and accountability.

Monitoring financial performance means that the board can assess the organisation's financial stability, liquidity and solvency. By identifying possible financial challenges early, the board can act quickly and fix any issues. This allows them to work in a safe and sustainable way. 

You can read the full post and subscribe on the Compliance Management Insights page.

Applications for reaccreditation for residential aged care services

Some providers aren’t sure how the upcoming reforms to aged care will affect the process for applying for reaccreditation of residential aged care services. If your residential accreditation expires anytime during 2024, you will need to submit your application for reaccreditation to the Commission. Don’t wait for the new Aged Care Act.

We will continue to send reminders to providers when these applications are due. Please contact us on 1800 951 822 if you have any questions about applying for reaccreditation.

Aged Care Pulse Survey

The Aged Care Reforms Sector Pulse Survey commissioned by the Department of Health and Aged Care runs from Monday 3 June to Friday 14 June 2024.

Completing the survey takes about 15 minutes and it will help the department to support the sector in implementing aged care reforms. Survey responses are anonymous, but you have the option to provide your contact details separately to ask for support.

Who can take part?

The department wants to hear from:

  • aged care providers
  • aged care workers
  • people in technology and health that deliver aged care services.

What does the survey do?

The survey goes out twice a year to get a pulse check from the sector. It helps the department better understand things like:

  • your views on recent aged care reforms and what could have helped to make the process easier
  • how prepared the sector is for upcoming reforms and how the department can help you better prepare
  • how the department can offer support.

What’s new this time?

The department is keen to hear from providers about how its state and territory engagement officers can best help support the sector.

There are state and territory engagement officers in all capital cities and across regional offices. They’re there to help the sector provide high-quality care to older people using their:

  • local knowledge
  • expertise
  • connections in the aged care, health and other sectors.

You can find the survey on the department’s Engagement Hub website – Get Involved Page from 3 June.

Have your say on quality indicators for in-home aged care

The Department of Health and Aged Care is expanding the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program into in-home aged care.   

Quality indicators measure and monitor critical areas of care that affect the health and wellbeing of older people.

Public consultation is now open to develop realistic and practical quality indicators for in-home aged care.

The department wants to hear from:

  • aged care providers and staff
  • older people, their families, representatives and carers
  • aged care peak organisations, associations and unions
  • researchers and experts
  • people interested in the aged care system.

To have your say: 

Developing the new quality indicators for in-home aged care will include:

  • an evidence-based literature review
  • national stakeholder and provider consultations
  • expert consultations.

The department is developing the indicators with: 

  • HealthConsult
  • the University of Queensland's Centre for Health Services Research
  • the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

The new quality indicators won’t start before 1 July 2026. They will only apply to providers under the new Support at Home program.

Food, nutrition and dining

Considering culture in food, nutrition and dining

Considering people’s individual culture and background and how that influences their food, nutrition, and dining preferences is important in aged care, and will become even more vital as our diverse multicultural population ages. Recognising and respecting cultural diversity enriches the lives of people receiving care and improves the quality of that care.

A core task for providers is to understand the range of dietary habits among their care recipients from different cultural backgrounds. Traditional diets vary widely and include unique ingredients, cooking techniques, and meal traditions. Providers embracing this diversity can include practices like hosting cooking programs featuring traditional dishes and organising outings to local restaurants serving cultural favourites.

Religious and spiritual beliefs also affect dietary practices. Some faiths include dietary guidance or even rules, restricted food or fasting periods. Respecting these beliefs is important to allow people to continue their religious practices while getting enough nutrition.

Family and community dynamics also play a role in shaping dietary habits. Involving families in meal planning and mealtimes preserves cultural traditions and encourages social bonds.

Training your staff in cultural understanding helps to provide person-centred care. Understanding residents' different needs and preferences, staff can tailor food services to meet those needs.

Using culturally sensitive practices includes:

  • listening to people receiving care
  • creating options for feedback and collaboration
  • making traditional foods a part of menus
  • hosting cultural events
  • providing ongoing staff training.

Read more in our full article.

Clinical update

National Palliative Care Week

The Commission is proud to join with Palliative Care Australia in acknowledging the important work of palliative care nurses, doctors, allied health workers, carers, and volunteers. 

This year, Palliative Care Week (19–25 May) coincided with significant reforms across the health, aged care and disability sectors.

End of life and palliative care helps improve the quality of life of someone who has an illness that will shorten the length of their life. This includes providing person-centred care to help people make choices and decisions about how they will live until their death. Palliative care can start at any stage of the person’s illness and doesn’t just mean the last weeks of someone’s life.

Aged Care Quality Standard 1 (Consumer dignity and choice) covers the care recipient’s ‘right to make informed choices, to understand their options, and to be as independent as they want’. The palliAGED resources for Standard 1 explain how this standard can be used to deliver tailored end of life care to the older person that supports them, and also their family, the staff providing daily care, and everyone else who has a relationship with the older person.

In quality palliative and end of life care, all those providing care (including potentially nurses, doctors, other health professionals and personal care workers) support the older person to live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible until their death. They also help families cope during the illness and in their grief. 

Find out more by exploring the National Palliative Care Week resources.

Webinars 

Provider regulation – accountability driving performance

Tuesday 18 June 2024, 2.00pm – 3.00pm AEST

Under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s new regulatory strategy, we will be putting a much stronger emphasis on exercising regulatory oversight at the provider level. In this webinar, our panel will discuss the importance of an integrated approach to risk management and continuous improvement at the provider level and how this is changing the way we work with providers to support sustainable improvement in the quality and safety of care.

Registrations are open via our website.

Recording available – Getting complaints right

The recording is now available from our 21 May webinar on ‘Getting complaints right’. This webinar focused on our latest complaints report: Complaints about aged care home services - Insights for people receiving care. The webinar covered rights in aged care, what is expected from home services providers, and how the Commission can help. We also talked about what to do if things aren’t going the way people want, including how to make and manage complaints.

Governing for reform

New podcast series

The Governing for Reform in Aged Care Program’s fourth podcast series is now available. 

The Conversations to Transform Aged Care series includes:

  • Podcast 1: 
    Tune in to hear Bernadette Gotch, CEO of home care provider KinCare, discuss reform as a part of organisational strategy. Bernadette explores how reforms can be a driver of organisational strategy and why an understanding of the reforms is important for leaders in aged care.  
  • Podcast 2: 
    Sue Gordon, Professor of Health and Ageing, Flinders University and Research Director at the Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia, considers how leaders in aged care can encourage a culture of balanced risk innovation. She also discusses ways that providers can use research to inform decision making and identify opportunities for innovation. 
  • Podcast 3: 
    Dr. Lisa Trigg, Assistant Director of Research, Data and Innovation at Social Care, Wales, provides an international perspective on meeting the needs of older people in home and in residential care. Dr Trigg discusses her experience in the Welsh and English aged care systems, the challenges faced and what she considers best practice in improving the experience for older people through a rights-based approach.

Head to the Governing for Reform webpage to find more governance resources, webinars and learning activities. 

Training and resources

Improved online learning

Our online learning platform for the aged care sector, Aged Care Learning Information Solution (Alis), received an important upgrade in May. 

Alis has learning content and resources to help aged care providers and workers understand their responsibilities in delivering safe, high-quality care.

In response to your feedback, we recently made changes to the platform to improve the way you access and manage your learning. The updated Alis provides a better user experience for learners and administrators.

Online learning and live workshops are now available on the single platform, with learning pathways linking content to help learners develop a deeper understanding of each topic. 

Administrators can now assign user groups, set pathways and see data on who has completed courses. Learners can also register for our workshops directly from Alis and more easily find the content they want with courses now grouped by subject. 

You can find out more about Alis, or register, on our online learning page. Alis is free for Australian Government funded aged care providers and their staff. It’s also available to private providers and other interested people or organisations for a fee. 

Start learning on the upgraded Alis.

Online workshops for approved providers

The Commission hosts online workshops for approved providers of residential aged care and home services. Our workshop program is now managed in our online learning platform – the Aged Care Learning Information Solution, or Alis. 

To register or access, please go to the Alis website.

Our next available workshop sessions are in July:

  • The Serious Incident Response Scheme in residential and home services
  • Effective incident management systems
  • new workshop – The strengthened Quality Standards in practice.

Visit our workshop webpage for more information. 

New resources

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Acknowledgement of Country

In the spirit of reconciliation, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, water and community. We pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.