For many aged care managers and their team, the winter months have been busy with reports and day-to-day operations. It can feel much like a hurdler – trying to overcome several obstacles in the shortest possible time.
September is likely to be another pivotal month in aged care reform with the Aged Care Act again before parliament this week. Fundamental program changes (Support at Home), regulatory reform and compliance, whistleblower protection, assessment pathways, increased choice and control for consumers and ways in which sector viability (costs) are addressed are all key elements. There will likely be plenty of ‘aged care news' in the media over the coming days and weeks!
Content Summary
Latest CDCS Videos & Blog Posts
To respond to the needs of those working in the industry, CDCS has a range of blog posts on our website and videos that are freely available on our YouTube channel.
Who are Your Vulnerable Clients?
It is a requirement for all Home Care Providers to create and maintain a list of vulnerable clients, those who are particularly at risk should there be an adverse event personally or through a natural disaster or at times of climate events. If you know who these people are you are better able to plan or action a response to minimise risk to them.
Industry News
All Sector Updates
Provider Registration
When the new Act is proclaimed, the Department will automatically set up existing providers as ‘registered providers' in the new registration categories according to the services they currently deliver. The Department will be contacting providers from September onwards. Click here to read more about the registration categories.
Draft Standards Guidance tool
Wanting to know which of the Strengthened Quality Standards apply to your organisation? You can access the Draft Standards Guidance tool here. Simply check the boxes that apply to your service and you will be taken to a page that outlines which of the Standards apply to you.
Free support for First Nations, rural and remote aged care providers – the Services Development Assistance Panel is now expanded to MMM region 4
SDAP support is now available to a wider range of providers. Those providers operating in MMM regions 4 – 7 locations and any First Nations providers may be eligible for assistance. You can get more information from the Department’s website or visit the CDCS website to read about some of the services we’ve helped through the SDAP program.
Legislation Updates
The New Aged Care Act
As we publish this Newsletter, the Australian parliament is again considering the New Aged Care Act during the September sitting, and the Industry will be keen to see what happens after a significant delay. The new Act will have a major impact on Aged Care providers and consumers, with key elements such as fundamental program changes (Support at Home), regulatory reform and compliance, whistleblower protection, assessment pathways, increased choice and control for consumers and ways in which sector viability (costs) will be addressed, and more. There will likely be plenty of ‘aged care news' in the media over coming days and weeks!
Reports Due
Operations Data Collection Due 31st October
Residential and home care providers need to submit data for the 2023–2024 reporting period. You can access the form via the Government Provider Management System (GPMS).
Transition care providers need to submit data through the Transition Care Annual Accountability Report.
For technical support, call the My Aged Care service provider and assessor helpline on 1800 836 799 and choose option 5.
COVID Updates
See COVID-19 advice for people in residential aged care homes and visitors on the department website for any updates.
Home Care Updates
Home Care Package – Published pricing schedule – 30 June 2024
To further improve the transparency of Home Care Package pricing for senior Australians, their families and carers, the Department of Health and Aged Care publishes national median prices for common home care services, care management and package management. This data is updated quarterly. The latest data up to 30 June 2024 is now available and is useful for providers wishing to benchmark their home care package prices.
Residential Care Updates
Compliance Management Insights – Nutritional Issues
The ACQ&SC Compliance Management Insight this month focused on the work the Commission is doing around the management of nutritional issues faced by older people and malnourishment. They noted that as people age, they are more likely to develop frailty and medical conditions including dementia, which provide additional challenges to maintaining adequate nutrition. Supporting an older person’s nutrition becomes much more than just making sure a person’s food preferences are known and the food offered is high quality and attractive to eat.
Reading
Want to understand more about what consumers are complaining about with home care services? The Commission has recently released a report on this topic.
You can also watch the Commission’s webinar on this topic ‘Getting Complaints Right’ which can be found on their YouTube channel.
Dementia Australia has released its ‘More Than a Cure: 25 Years of Impact‘ report. The report highlights funded projects and some of the great work being done in research and supporting people and their families living with this disease.
More than 400,000 people in Australia are living with dementia, and it is one of the most significant health and social challenges facing the world. The risk of dementia in First Nations peoples is also 3-5 times higher than in the general population, making it one of the highest prevalence rates in the world.
Department and Commission Newsletter Links
If you haven't subscribed for Department updates, you can do so by clicking here to subscribe.
If you’re not already signed up, we recommend clicking through and signing up for the Commission’s valuable newsletter.
CDCS Roundup for Busy People Newsletter
If you have others in your team who would benefit from our monthly aged care roundup for busy people – they can sign up here.
Industry Training, Webinars & Events
Department of Health and Aged Care financial reporting webinar
The Department of Health and Aged Care is presenting a financial reporting webinar.
During this webinar, they will:
- discuss recent changes and opportunities for providers to improve the accuracy of information in the Quarterly Financial Report and Aged Care Financial Report
- look at how provider reporting feeds into sector-wide publications with some of the key themes from the most recent Quarterly Financial Snapshot
- provide an overview of upcoming deadlines to assist providers with planning.
When: Tuesday 10 September, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm (AEST)
Sector Performance Reports: Joining the dots to detect risk and prevent harm
Sector performance reports highlight trends to the Commission and also give insight to providers on key issues in the industry. The Commission will be discussing common and persistent compliance and complaints issues identified in both residential care and home services and how providers can work with the Commission in addressing these.
Date: Tuesday 17 September 2024
Time: 2.00pm – 3.00pm AEST
Location: online via Microsoft Teams
EOI – Governing For Reform Workshop – Director Onboarding
The ACQ&SC are calling for expressions of interest for those who want to gain a comprehensive understanding of the essential roles and responsibilities of a governing body member in the aged care sector.
Date: Thursday 19 September 2024
Time: 2:00pm – 4:30pm AEST
Location: online via Microsoft Teams
Webinar recording: Co-designing aged care with consumer advisory boards
The Commission has uploaded their latest webinar on Co-designing aged care with consumer advisory bodies to YouTube. This is useful to all providers whether you are required to have an advisory body or not.
Ongoing workshops provided by the ACQ&SC
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission develops a range of educational resources and workshops for aged care providers, in-home services and residential services that assist in understanding what compliance looks like.
You can find these courses listed on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s website under the Education tab.
Funding Opportunities
Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) allocations 24/25 year
The 2024–25 Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) allocations round for residential care places is now open to approved MPS providers to:
- expand existing MPS services; or
- establish new MPS services.
There are up to 100 places available through a competitive application process. Apply here.
Applications close on 25 October.
Grant Reference
Name of Grant
Closing Date
For more information on any of these grants, refer to the GrantConnect website.
SDAP – Services Development Assistance Panel
Don’t forget, if you are an aged care provider (residential or community care) operating in rural or remote locations, you may be eligible for support through the Service Development Assistance Panel (SDAP).
CDCS has been a panel member since the inception of this program in 2010 and has supported over 40 aged care services with compliance, business development, training and resource development.
Get an idea of what can be done with SDAP.
Further information is available on the Department’s website, including the application form, or by emailing sdap@health.gov.au.
Jobs in Aged Care
Position
Organisation & Location
Closing Date
Millingimbi – East Arnhem Regional Council
Until filled
Casual Relief Positions, Various – East Arnhem Regional Council
Until filled
NOTE: If you have a position that you would like us to promote, please hit ‘reply’ to this email so we can include it in the next newsletter and/or post on our Facebook page: CDCS – Culturally Directed Care Solutions.
New In The TQP Members Resource Area
You’ll find a full list of the updated policies, procedures and other helpful resources that have been updated in the last month below. We're committed to helping your organisation meet compliance and deliver quality outcomes.
If you don't have access to the TQP and you’re looking for comprehensive, industry-specific policies, procedures, and work instructions that have been used successfully by dozens of aged care providers, helping them to easily pass quality reviews and stay compliant, then take a look at the Total Quality Package.
You can also contact us to book a call with us, and we would be happy to give you an online tour.
Resource updates in the last month
Home Care Policies & Procedures
Service Management
Complaints and Feedback Policy V5 – updated
Incident Management Systems Policy V3 – updated
Incident Management Procedures V2 – updated
Client Service Provision
Client Agreement V2 – updated
Client Intake Procedures V2 – updated + renamed from ‘Client Intake Pathways’
Assessment & Reassessment Policy V4 – updated
Assessment & Reassessment Procedures V1 – new
Residential Care Policies & Procedures
Service Management
Complaints and Feedback Policy V5 – updated
Governance Policies & Procedures
Open Disclosure (Home Care) V2 – updated
Health & Safety Policies & Procedures
Responding to a Serious Incident (SIRS) in Home Care V3 – updated
Care & Case Management Tools
Intake & Assessment Forms
Client Intake & Assessment Form V4.1 – minor updates
Personal Care Support Plan (Home Care) V1 – new
Quality & Compliance Tools
Survey Examples
Client Meals Survey (Community Care) V2 – updated
Client Satisfaction Survey (Community Care) V2 – updated
Toolbox Talks & Info Shares
Toolbox Talks
Missing Clients including SIRS V2 – updated
TQP Live Training & Replays
TQP Members get complimentary access to regular LIVE training and education sessions. These are aimed at the coordination and management level and address trending issues and topics. Recordings are available in the TQP to revisit whenever you need – just like having your very own ‘Aged Care Netflix!’ 😁
We hope you have found this edition helpful; feel free to share it with others who may be interested. If you have any feedback or questions, please let us know by emailing us at info@cdcs.com.au.
Please get in contact with us if you need support and we’ll catch up with you again next month.
Donna, Carrie & the CDCS Team
- September 2024 - September 10, 2024
- August 2024 - August 13, 2024
- July 2024 - July 9, 2024
