Your Aged Care Update # 06/24

To have your say, read the consultation paper and share your feedback by Tuesday 5 March 2024.

We’re also looking for aged care providers to take part in a 6-week pilot starting in March 2024. We’re running two webinars to answer questions from prospective participants:

26 February, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm (AEDT)
27 February, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm (AEDT)

Register now to attend one of the pilot webinars.

Providers interested in taking part in the pilot, please complete the expression of interest form or send an email to QI@healthconsult.com.au.

Webinar: Latest aged care outbreak supports

Aged care providers are invited to join a webinar on Australian Government supports relating to planning for and managing outbreaks, including COVID-19.

When: Thursday 7 March, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm (AEDT)

Join us to hear about:

the outbreak management supplement
grant closing dates and submitting applications
National Medical Stockpile changes
surge workforce arrangements
COVID-19 vaccine reminders

Survey for people impacted by incontinence

We want to hear from people impacted by incontinence as part of an independent evaluation of the continence initiatives we fund.

This survey asks for basic information about a person and their health, and how they use government-funded continence support. This will help us set the national policy direction for incontinence.

Please encourage relevant care recipients to complete the survey online, or by calling (02) 5156 6665. It should take around 25 minutes.

Survey closes: Tuesday 26 March 2024.

All responses will be kept strictly anonymous and confidential. Email any questions to continence@health.gov.au.

We invite you to share your aged care volunteering stories

We would love to showcase the great work volunteers do in aged care to encourage and inspire others. If you have a story to share, we want to hear from you! 

We want to hear about: 

the experiences of volunteers and volunteer managers 
the benefits and importance of volunteers in aged care 
innovations or solutions to overcome challenges or barriers.

These stories will celebrate, recognise and showcase the incredible work and innovations done by aged care volunteers and managers. We may share these stories on our website and social media platforms. 

Go to share your stories about volunteering in aged care to submit your story or contact us at agedcarevolunteer@health.gov.au. 

Aged care fee review dates on the Services Australia website

Services Australia runs monthly reviews of residential and home care fees. The next review is on Tuesday 20 February 2024.

Upcoming review dates and other news about reviews will now be published on the Services Australia website.

Providers can also visit the Services Australia website for more information about Residential Care fee reviews and Home Care fee reviews.

Residential care

Care minutes update

You can now view your quarterly care minutes targets in the Government Provider Management System (GPMS).

GPMS will display current and upcoming targets. For more information see GPMS user guide: care minutes targets.

You are reminded that we are doing care time reporting assessments to check care reported and 24/7 RN reports. To prepare for your assessment, here are the types of documentation that we may request:

calculations and working papers for direct care minutes used to prepare your Quarterly Financial Report (QFR) submission for the quarter
employee listing showing full name, classification, and award rate for the quarter
general ledger reconciliation for payroll related accounts and related payroll expense journals
timesheets, pay runs and duty statements or similar for each role that delivers direct care.

Read more about Care Time Reporting Assessments.

In-home care

Updated Home Care Package pricing report now available

The National Summary of Home Care Package Prices – 31 December 2023 is now available.

The report outlines Home Care Packages Program pricing data for common home care services, care management, package management and staff travel.

At 31 December 2023, the median nursing price was $120 per standard hour. Median prices for light gardening, in-home respite, personal care and cleaning/household tasks ranged from $71 to $75 per standard hour.

Also available is the Home Care Package – Published Pricing Schedule – 31 December 2023, which shows the full pricing data entered into My Aged Care by providers.

Support at Home: Frequently asked questions now available

We have published answers to frequently asked questions about the new Support at Home program.

If you have further questions, register for one of our upcoming question and answer (Q&A) sessions:

Q&A for aged care providers. Thursday 22 February 1.00 pm to 2.30 pm (AEDT). Register now.
Q&A for older people, their families and carers. Tuesday 27 February 1.00 pm to 2.30 pm (AEDT). Register now.

Read more about the new Support at Home program.

Workforce

New dates: Free online training for aged care cooks

The Maggie Beer Foundation has released new dates for free training Hubs in February and March.

Register now to attend.

Improve the food, nutrition and dining experience for older people in your care while supporting your professional development.

Over 2.5 hours a week for 3 weeks, you’ll receive:

practical coursework
feedback from chef trainers 
industry peer networking.

Building kitchen capability can help to:

reduce unplanned weight loss and pressure injuries for older people
meet the draft dedicated food and nutrition Aged Care Quality Standard
meet the quality indicators to do with nutrition.

The Maggie Beer Foundation has other free training available, including 14 short online modules.

Sarah Burrell-Davis