Over the past two summers Australia has experienced an unprecedented series of natural disasters that caused devastation to large parts of Australia. The aged care sector, with the support of Commonwealth, State and Territory, local government authorities and emergency service agencies responded well to the events and protected the health, safety and well-being of care recipients while continuing to ensure high quality care.

The events of the past two summers are a reminder to all aged care services of the importance of being well prepared for, and able to respond to, a range of emergency events. Current climate modelling suggests that the coming summer is likely to be drier for large parts of Australia. While drier weather can indicate more bushfires, it is also possible that heatwaves, cyclones and flooding will occur over the high risk season. It is vital that emergency management planning is undertaken with a view to maintaining an acceptably high level of care at all times.

Risk management plans should take an all-hazards and comprehensive approach. The all-hazards concept recognises that a range of hazards can cause similar risks and measures such as communication strategies, medication management, evacuation plans and service recovery may be required in response to a variety of events.

Under Community Care Common Standard 1 expected outcome 1.6: Risk Management, approved providers are expected to have processes for identifying and managing potential risks, including developing alternative plans for vulnerable service users if service provision is interrupted due to local weather conditions, natural or man-made disasters. To determine which service users are most at risk by service interruption, consideration should be given to those requiring nursing care or wound management and/or those who are socially or geographically isolated, or suffering physical or cognitive impairment.

Approved providers must also have systems in place under expected outcome 1.2: Regulatory Compliance to identify and ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, and funded program guidelines. Under this requirement, approved providers are expected to consider any state or local government regulations, including those that relate to emergency management planning and response.

Major reviews were undertaken in Queensland and Victoria, following the flooding events of 2011;

The reviews considered such things as floodplain management, state and local planning arrangements, building controls, warnings and public information and the development of community resilience plans. Approved providers should ensure that they are aware of all changes to state legislation or local government requirements including changes made as a result of these inquiries.

Please review your risk management plans to ensure they remain current and practicable. Approved providers of community care should assess the risks involved in the continuation of service provision in the context of an emergency, and plan to maintain, modify or limit service provision in the context of that risk assessment. The safety of service delivery staff will be a significant consideration in developing an emergency response plan.

It is expected that plans will be developed in consultation with local emergency response agencies to ensure that vulnerable service users can be assisted to safety in the event of an emergency. To assist you with reviewing and exercising your risk management plans I have attached some advice about preparing for emergency events. Having reviewed your plan, consider how you might exercise or test key elements of the plan.

I acknowledge the efforts of all who contributed to ensure that aged care recipients continued to receive quality care during recent emergency events. I also urge you to ensure that you are well prepared for the coming high risk season.

Yours sincerely

Michael Culhane
A/g First Assistant Secretary
Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance
Top of page
10 October 2012

Preparation for an emergency event for community care services

There are a number of key considerations for community aged care providers in preparing for emergency events:

Before the event

Consider the range of hazards that are most likely to affect your area.
Ensure you are aware of any state/territory or regional/local emergency management arrangements and requirements, including possible trigger points for evacuation, or communication channels for alerting response agencies to the location of vulnerable* clients.
Develop an appropriate emergency management plan which considers the needs of vulnerable service users. This should include options for ensuring continuation of services to the extent possible in the event of an emergency.
Contact local emergency services to seek advice and provide contact details of your service and key personnel to the emergency services, and ensure that all key personnel have access to contact details for local emergency services.
During any period of high risk, ensure that key personnel monitor emergency broadcasts and the media for localised warnings and advice.
Discuss emergency management plans with staff.
Provide appropriate information about the organisation’s plan to service users.
Raise awareness among service users and their families on how they can prepare for an emergency event including information on help available from emergency agencies.
Develop a plan for recovering following an event including post event counselling for staff.
Undertake exercises to test key parts of your plan.

During the event

Liaise with/monitor local emergency service agencies to determine the seriousness of any emergency situation and the level of risk posed to your organisation and service users.
Activate emergency management plans in a timely manner and make informed decisions about continuing to provide services with regard to the risks involved.
Keep staff and service users well informed during any emergency situation.
Apply a risk assessment approach to ensure that appropriate services are delivered in a prioritised way to service users, taking into account those who are most vulnerable.
Facilitate the transfer of vulnerable service users to other providers if you are unable to continue to provide services.
Refer service users to emergency service agencies if assistance is needed with evacuation.
Provide advice to the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) about the impact of the event on your service and service users, when it is safe to do so.

Following the event

Assess the impact on your service and service users, and take steps to recover.
Liaise with and request assistance as required from local agencies providing recovery and other relevant services.
Review and amend your emergency management plans, as needed.

*As part of the initial and ongoing assessment of service users, community care providers are expected to assess and document service user vulnerability in the context of an emergency event. Particular consideration should be given to individuals who are:

dependent on life-sustaining technologies or aids (oxygen etc);
socially or geographically isolated;
unlikely to be able to develop or enact a relocation plan without assistance;
living in a high risk area (for instance bushfire, flood);
living alone and having high care needs (for instance nursing or wound management) or living with an individual with similar or greater level of needs;
unable to make an independent decision due to cognitive or other impairment; and/or
difficult to make contact with in the event of an emergency (i.e. has limited or unreliable telephone service, or is deaf).

The care plan which is shared with the care recipient should note any specific arrangements that may be put in place by your service.

Contact with DoHA

In the circumstance of your service being affected by an emergency event, it is expected that you will make contact with DoHA, when it is safe to do so, to

advise if you are unable to continue to provide an adequate level of service to the service users you have identified as most vulnerable;
if required, request assistance to identify alternative accommodation for service users needing to be relocated; and
provide notification if service users have been relocated or evacuated in response to an emergency event.

In Victoria and New South Wales DoHA has dedicated Emergency Response numbers:

Victoria - 1800 078 709
New South Wales - 1800 852 649
All other contacts should be directed to the Aged Care Complaints Scheme on 1800 550 552.

In the event of a major emergency such as a fire during a catastrophic fire danger rating in your area; an event that has impacted your service; or a situation where other service providers are no longer able to support vulnerable service users, officers from DoHA may contact you to:

ensure that you know of the risk and that your service, staff and service users are ready to respond to any threat;
determine the impact of the event on your service, and whether or not any need for additional assistance is being met; and/or
ascertain the potential of your service to support additional service users in the event of other service providers being unable to continue to provide service.

The department appreciates your support in responding to this contact, which will be kept to an essential minimum.Top of page

Dear Approved Providers of Residential Aged Care

Preparation for the High Risk Season

Over the past two summers Australia has experienced an unprecedented series of natural disasters that caused devastation to large parts of Australia. During the events many aged care facilities were either isolated or needed to evacuate residents to alternative locations. The aged care sector, with the support of Commonwealth, State and Territory, local government authorities and emergency service agencies responded well to the events. The health, safety and well-being of care recipients was protected while continuing to ensure high quality care.

The events of the past two summers are a reminder to all aged care services of the importance of being well prepared for, and able to respond to, a range of emergency events. Current climate modelling suggests that the coming summer is likely to be drier for large parts of Australia. While drier weather can indicate more bushfires, it is also possible that heatwaves, cyclones and flooding will occur over the high risk season. Services should prepare by ensuring buildings are as resilient as possible to likely hazards and planning how care will be provided if the service is isolated or residents are evacuated. It is vital that emergency management planning is undertaken with a view to maintaining an acceptably high level of care at all times.

Under Accreditation Standard four, expected outcome 4.6 Fire, security and other emergencies, approved providers of Commonwealth subsidised aged care services are required to have emergency management plans and protocols in place to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of care recipients.

Approved providers must also have systems in place under expected outcome 4.2 Regulatory Compliance to identify and ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, professional standards and guidelines. Under this requirement, approved providers are expected to consider any state or local government regulations, including those that relate to emergency management planning and response.

Major reviews have been undertaken in Queensland and Victoria , following the flooding events of 2011:

The reviews considered such things as floodplain management, state and local planning arrangements, building controls, warnings and public information and the development of community resilience plans. Approved providers should ensure that they are aware of all changes to state legislation or local government requirements including changes made as a result of these inquiries.

Approved providers impacted by the events of past seasons have put considerable effort in to learning the lessons from their experiences, and subsequently enhancing their emergency management plans to ensure they are sufficiently comprehensive. Look out for local or State forums that have been scheduled to learn from other’s experiences. Information is also being disseminated by peak bodies.

Please review the preparedness of your buildings and your emergency management plans in the light of the experiences of service providers over the last summers and any changes to emergency management arrangements in your region. Having reviewed your plan, consider how you might exercise key elements of the plan. To assist you with reviewing and exercising your emergency management plans I have attached some advice about preparing for emergency events.

I acknowledge the efforts of all who have contributed to ensure that aged care recipients continue to receive quality care during emergency events, and the generosity of those who have shared the lessons from their experiences. I also urge you to ensure that you are well prepared for the coming high risk season.

Yours sincerely

Michael Culhane
A/g First Assistant Secretary
Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance
Top of page
10 October 2012

Preparation for an emergency event at an aged care residence

There are a number of key considerations for residential aged care providers in preparing for emergency events:

Before the event

Consider the range of hazards that are most likely to affect your facility.
Take all reasonable measures to ensure that your facility is able to withstand the most likely hazards.
Ensure you are aware of any state/territory or regional/local emergency management arrangements and requirements, including any changes from previous seasons and possible trigger points for evacuation.
Develop an appropriate emergency management plan which considers the ongoing needs of vulnerable care recipients in the event that your facility becomes isolated (water, food, power, communication, medical supplies etc).
Determine appropriate staffing levels to meet higher care recipient needs during periods of high risk, including heat waves and evacuations.
Develop an evacuation plan that includes realistic arrangements for transportation and alternative accommodation relevant to different scenarios (eg. only your facility is affected or all facilities in the region are affected) and includes provision for care recipient identification and care-plan documents.
Liaise with your local hospital/s to ensure the integration of your emergency management plans with its plan (this is particularly important in rural or remote locations).
*Develop agreements with other service providers for alternative accommodation in the instance that you or the other facility need to partially or wholly evacuate residents.
Contact local emergency services to seek advice and ensure that they are aware of your facility, its size and location, and the particular needs of the residents. Provide contact details of your facility and key personnel to the emergency services, and ensure that all key personnel have access to contact details for local emergency services.
During any period of high risk, ensure that key personnel monitor emergency broadcasts and the media for localised warnings and advice.
Discuss emergency management plans with staff, care recipients and their families.
Develop a plan for recovering following an event including post trauma counselling for care recipients and staff.
Undertake exercises to test key parts of your plan.

During the event

Liaise with local emergency services to determine the seriousness of any emergency situation and the level of risk posed to your facility and care recipients.
Know when to activate emergency management plans, and make timely/informed decisions, which may culminate in a partial or complete evacuation of your facility.
Continue to deliver appropriate care, which may require sourcing additional staff or volunteers, according to your emergency management plan.
Keep staff, family and care recipients well informed during any emergency situation.
Provide advice to the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) about the impact of the event on your facility, when it is safe to do so.

Following the event

Assess the impact on your facility, and take steps to recover.
Liaise with and request assistance as required from local agencies providing recovery and other relevant services.
Review and amend your emergency management plans, as needed.

*As part of the emergency planning process, you are expected to explore and document alternative accommodation options and where possible, make arrangements at a local/regional level. These arrangements may include, but not be limited to, discussions about ongoing care of care recipients, staff requirements and associated costs. In an emergency DoHA will assist approved providers to identify accommodation options for relocating or evacuating care recipients. For example, DoHA will be able to help you identify aged care services or other facilities in your area that have the capacity to accommodate care recipients.

Aged care facilities need to give particular consideration to transport options for evacuations, recognising that ambulance services may be fully occupied responding to emergency calls, and alternate transport providers may have arrangements with a number of different facilities. Multiple alternate means of transport, suitable for frail elderly residents, such as buses, vans or cars need to be considered alongside access to your site, availability at short notice and 24 hour contact details.

Contact with DoHA

In the circumstance of your facility being affected by an emergency event, it is expected that you will make contact with DoHA, when it is safe to do so, to:

provide notification of any internal or external emergency event;
provide notification if an evacuation or relocation of care recipients is required in response to an emergency event; or
seek assistance with identifying alternative accommodation.

In Victoria and New South Wales the DoHA has dedicated Emergency Response numbers:

Victoria - 1800 078 709
New South Wales - 1800 852 649
All other contacts should be directed to the Aged Care Complaints Scheme on 1800 550 552.

In the event of a fire during a catastrophic fire danger rating in your area; an emergency event that has impacted your facility; or a situation where other facilities are relocating or evacuating residents, officers from DoHA may contact you to:

ensure that you know of the risk and that your facility, staff and care recipients are ready to respond to any threat;
determine the impact of the event on your facility, and whether or not any need for additional assistance is being met, and/or
ascertain the potential of your facility to provide emergency accommodation to relocating care recipients from at-risk facilities.

The Department appreciates your support in responding to this contact, which will be kept to an essential minimum.
Top of page