Grant Opportunity: Aged Care Infection Prevention and Control Training
A grant opportunity is opening soon, to support registered and enrolled nurses in residential aged care to complete specialist Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) training.
Eligible approved providers of residential aged care services, including Multi-Purpose Services and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care services, will be able to apply.
Grants will help residential aged care services with:
- fees for suitable IPC courses
- wages for study leave and back filling of nurses undertaking training.
The grant opportunity will support more nurses in residential aged care to become IPC leads. Having more trained nurses will support services to prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks including influenza and COVID-19.
More information is available in the Forecast Opportunity (P3340) on GrantConnect.
Expanded eligibility and quicker access to COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments
Eligibility for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) access to COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments, Lagevrio® (molnupiravir) and Paxlovid® (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) has widened and commenced on 1 November 2022. These antivirals can be taken at home and reduce the risk of severe disease or going to hospital.
First Nations people, aged 30 years or over, will require only one risk factor (from the current list of risk factors) instead of two, to meet the definition of high risk for the purpose of PBS eligibility as of 1 November 2022.
Antiviral treatments, taken as a tablet or capsule, help prevent COVID-19 infection from becoming severe – but they need to be started early after symptom onset or testing positive.
To support prompt treatment of patients as of 1 November 2022, medical practitioners and nurse practitioners will be able to add Lagevrio® and Paxlovid® to their Prescriber Bag supplies.
A complete list of current Prescriber Bag medicines is available on the PBS website.
Additional information can be found in the Covid-19 fact sheets.
ACIPC conference 2022
The Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control is hosting a workshop Infection Prevention and Control in Residential Aged Care Facilities on Sunday, 13 November 2022 from 10 am to 6 pm (AEDT) live in Sydney or online.
The College has offered complimentary online registration for Aged Care IPC Leads, many who are current or past students of the College’s Foundations of IPC course. Current and past students have been emailed directly by the College.
The workshop aims to work with participants to establish a greater understanding of the IPC Lead role and responsibilities at both national and organisation levels. The benefits, challenges, and learnings will be discussed to inform the mandatory framework, identify support initiatives, and promote success. The workshop is targeted at those nurses who are new or experienced in the IPC Lead role, those responsible for clinical governance within their organisation, educators, aged care providers, quality assessors and those who may be seeking to introduce the IPC Lead program into the home care service setting.
For more information and to view the full program, visit: acipcconference.com.au/2022-program.
IPC Leads can register using the following link: cdesign.eventsair.com/acipc2022/workshop.