Star Ratings: Provider preview alert
Updated Star Ratings will be published on My Aged Care from April for all residential aged care services.
The updated ratings are based on the most recent quarter of reporting for the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) and the Quarterly Financial Report (QFR).
Providers will have an opportunity to preview Star Ratings for all residential aged care services prior to publication. All Organisation Administrators nominated by providers in My Aged Care, will receive an email with instructions on how to access the Star Ratings preview.
The Star Ratings preview is intended to support your preparation ahead of final publication on My Aged Care.
If you require assistance regarding updating your Organisation Administrator details, please contact the My Aged Care Service Provider and Assessor Helpline on 1800 836 799.
For more information on Star Ratings and to access the latest resources, visit the department’s Star Ratings webpage.
New resources to support palliative care in aged care
palliAGED has developed a new set of resource packs for those working in home care and residential aged care. They include a range of forms and checklists to help the aged care workforce deliver quality care at the end of life.
The packs can also be used for training purposes, together with the palliAGED Practice Tip Sheets for Careworkers and Nurses in aged care. These cover 42 topics on what you need to know and what you can do to provide best-practice palliative care.
View them below and order your free printed copy on the palliAGED website:
- palliAGED resource packs for home care (NEW)
- palliAGED resource packs for residential care (NEW)
- palliAGED Practice Tip Sheets for Careworkers
- palliAGED Practice Tip Sheets for Nurses
- palliAGED Introduction Modules
Free Equip Aged Care learning packages
Free online learning modules to support aged care workers are now available through the University of Tasmania.
Funded by the department, the Equip Aged Care Learning Packages cover 14 topics in aged care. The modules are designed for direct care workers, volunteers, caregivers and anyone with an interest in improving care for older people.
The first 9 learning modules are available now, and provide an overview of:
- the Australian aged care system
- the role of nurses, personal care workers and allied health professionals working in aged care
- the Aged Care Quality Standards
- Palliative and end-of-life care
- Person-centred care
- Supporting people living with dementia
- Promoting mental health and wellbeing
- Prevention of falls
- Wound management and pressure injury.
Register and enrol for these modules at Equip Aged Care Learning (utas.edu.au).
For further enquiries, please email equip.learning@utas.edu.au
Surveys for personal care workers and home care providers
HealthConsult is undertaking 2 surveys on behalf of the department to better understand the home care workforce.
Following surveys conducted in April 2022, these will contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP) and future workforce initiatives.
The HCWSP delivers support to employers to grow the home care workforce through 6 organisations or consortia.
The surveys aim to identify:
- makeup of the workforce
- jobs being performed
- skills and qualifications
- work preferences.
We are interested in responses from:
- home care providers
- personal care workers, enrolled nurses and allied health assistants.
The surveys opened on 3 March and will close on Friday 31 March.
Complete the survey for home care providers OR complete the survey for personal care workers.
Survey: Talking about racism and discrimination in aged care
The Partners in Culturally Appropriate Aged Care (PICAC) Alliance invites aged care staff to complete a survey on their experience of racism and/or discrimination in the workplace.
The PICAC Alliance will use the insights to create a new resource with information and strategies for providers to eliminate racism and discrimination and promote cultural safety in aged care settings.
The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete and is anonymous.
People from all backgrounds, working in residential or home care, are encouraged to participate.
The survey closes on 31 March.
Second round of Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payments
The Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment rewards clinical skills and leadership.
Payments of up to $6,000 are available to registered nurses.
This grant round closed on 28 February 2023.
Employers are reminded that a second round of payments is scheduled for registered nurses who:
- work for a government-funded aged care provider; and
- work for the entirety of one of the following eligibility periods:
- 1 November 2022 through to 31 October 2023.
- 1 May 2023 through to 31 October 2023.
We encourage you to consider these payments as part of your recruitment processes.
Further information about the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment can be found on the department’s website.
Webinar: Swallowing, texture-modified diets and nutrition
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission invites approved providers and staff to attend its third webinar in the food, dining and nutrition series to be held on Friday 17 March at 1.30pm‑2.45pm AEDT.
Hosted by Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson PSM, panellists include:
- Dr Melanie Wroth, Chief Clinical Advisor to the Commission
- Kym Torresi, Senior Advisor Aged Care, Speech Pathology Australia
- Ngaire Hobbins, Accredited Practising Dietitian and author.
The webinar will cover:
- causes and impacts of swallowing problems
- use of texture-modified diets (TMDs) and consumer choice
- maintaining good nutrition with TMDs
- preventive and collaborative approaches to swallowing and nutrition.
If you are not able to attend, a recording will be available in the days following the webinar.
For further information about the Commission’s Food, Dining and Nutrition resources or to watch the first 2 webinars in the series, visit the Commission’s website.
Updated Home Care Package pricing report now available
The National Summary of Home Care Package Prices – 31 December 2022 is now available.
The report outlines Home Care Packages Program pricing data for common home care services, care management, package management, staff travel and the exit amount.
At 31 December 2022, the median nursing price was $104 per standard hour, while light gardening, in-home respite, personal care and cleaning/household tasks ranged from $61 to $65 per standard hour.
The department also published the Home Care Package – Published Pricing Schedule – 31 December 2022, showing the full pricing data entered into My Aged Care by providers.
Webinar: Early lessons learned from SIRS in home services
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will host a webinar on Tuesday 21 March at 1pm‑2pm AEDT to explore the early lessons and emerging trends from the extension of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) into in home services.
The webinar will feature Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission panellists including Ann Wunsch, Executive Director, Approvals and Serious Incident Notifications and Dr Melanie Wroth, Chief Clinical Officer.
The webinar will include a Q&A session and participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance via the registration process.
Vision Australia webinars for Commonwealth Home Support Programme providers
Vision Australia is presenting 2 one-hour webinars for Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providers. The sessions are free to all staff who work for organisations that offer CHSP.
Why older people need smart technology – Tuesday 28 March at 12pm AEDT
Need help encouraging older people to use smart technologies? Many Vision Australia CHSP recipients use Google Assistant and Alexa to access information and remain connected to friends and family.
This webinar will share information about Vision Australia’s technology pilot project:
- how this project enhanced older people’s social participation and independence
- what participants had to say
- practical advice on introducing this technology to your clients.
Register for the smart technology webinar.
What a client outcome measurement tool can look like – Wednesday 29 March at 2pm AEDT
Vision Australia’s experts will explain the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), a measurement framework used to measure person-centred outcomes.
This webinar is suitable for aged care workers and staff in clinical governance and will cover:
- how the COPM works
- importance of measuring outcomes
- benefits of using an outcome measurement tool
- understanding the impact of a service to the client and organisation.