Advice on aged care during COVID-19

Prevent and prepare for COVID-19 in residential aged care

Residential aged care providers need to remain alert and prepared for a potential outbreak of COVID-19 at their facilities. This page covers the measures you should have in place at all times to prevent and prepare for an outbreak.

The National COVID-19 Health Management plan

The National COVID-19 Health Management Plan for 2023 consolidates the critical work already undertaken by the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments in providing guidance to manage COVID-19 in aged care.

A National Statement of Expectations on COVID-19 Management in Aged Care Settings also accompanies the National Plan. 

The National Statement of Expectations on COVID-19 Management in Aged Care Settings 

The National Statement of Expectations on COVID-19 Management in Aged Care Settings provides guidance to the aged care sector (residential and care at home services) on their responsibilities for preparing for and responding to COVID-19 outbreaks. This includes nationally consistent principles and best practice guidance.

It outlines the Australian Government’s expectation of the actions aged care services should take when managing Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) settings to:

  • be in place
  • be scaled up quickly, when needed.

This statement also supports aged care services to ensure Older Australians, at home or in residential settings, receive appropriate COVID-19 protection from and management of any COVID-19 infections in their surrounds.

It should be read in conjunction with other approved guidelines. This includes guidelines from the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA), such as the National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of Outbreaks of Acute Respiratory Infection (including COVID-19 and influenza) in Residential Care Facilities.

Prepare and maintain your outbreak management plan

Residential aged care homes must have processes in places to prevent and manage COVID-19 impacts.  

To prevent COVID-19 cases and prepare for outbreaks, providers should:

  • train all staff in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and make sure they regularly update their skills.
  • work with their IPC lead nurse to assess their current IPC practices and procedures. 
  • have an Outbreak Management Plan which is regularly tested and updated.
  • have a workforce management plan with contingencies for an outbreak – this includes finding staff through recruitment agencies and within the wider organisation.  
  • do a stocktake of personal protective equipment (PPE) and source more PPE from commercial suppliers if needed.
  • engage with staff, residents and their families so they know how you are preparing for an outbreak including arrangements for visitors during an exposure or outbreak.   

Preventing and preparing resources

Here are some resources to help develop your outbreak management plan:

You may also wish to read the reviews of previous outbreaks and the national review to learn about what has and hasn’t worked when managing a COVID-19 outbreak.

Reduce infection risk – Screening and managing visitors

Screening on entry to a residential aged care home is vital. Anyone who visits a residential care home should be well and free of respiratory symptoms. Visitors are also strongly encouraged to undertake a Rapid Antigen Test prior to entry and wear a mask during their visit. 

Visitors that have tested positive to COVID-19 should not enter a residential aged care home for at least 7 days and until they remain symptom free. 

Providers should regularly review screening arrangements in line with their risk assessment of the current COVID-19 risk in their community. The National COVID-19 Community Protection Framework provides information on measures which could be used depending on the level of community cases.  You should stay up to date with current community case levels in your local area by regularly reviewing advice from your state or territory.

Infection prevention and control

Good Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practices and procedures are fundamental in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in homes and services. 

All aged care homes and services should make sure that they have up to date IPC policies and procedures. 

All staff should be trained in IPC and have the capabilities and guidance to implement good IPC practices. This should include kitchen, cleaning and laundry staff, volunteers, and administration and management staff.

We are working with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to put new arrangements in place for education based on the COVID-19 Infection Control Online Training Modules. Users can access the training on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission website.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission also manages free online IPC learning modules for Partners in Care, which is suitable for:

  • aged care visitors
  • Family
  • friends
  • volunteers.

This is non-clinical and addresses the basic knowledge any visitor to an aged care residence should have.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has free online infection control and hand hygiene eLearning modules that are designed for:

  • registered nurses
  • IPC leads
  • others responsible for the delivery of IPC education in aged care services.

All residential aged care homes should have a dedicated IPC lead nurse at each home. The role of the IPC lead nurse is to observe, assess and report on the home’s IPC capabilities. They provide advice within the home and are a key infection control contact in the event of an outbreak. The approved provider can determine what level of engagement or workload is required of the IPC lead nurse in each case. At larger facilities, or to address certain deficiencies, providers may determine that a full-time IPC lead nurse, or a number of IPC lead nurses, is appropriate. More information is available on the IPC leads page.

In order to prepare and prevent an outbreak, your IPC lead nurse should be familiar with the latest guidelines on the management of COVID-19 in aged care homes.

Residential aged care homes should conduct self-audits and risk assessment to maintain required standards of IPC across all areas.

Both the department and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) use data sources to identify homes that are at high risk of an outbreak. More information about how providers can self assess their risk is available from this fact sheet.

IPC resources

Further advice on IPC procedures is available:

Planning for visitors and communicating during a COVID-19 outbreak

Supporting visitation 

Industry Code for Visiting in Aged Care Homes

The aged care peak body and consumer advocacy organisations have released an Industry Code for Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes (the Code). The Code is a national approach to ensure your loved ones can receive visitors safely during a COVID-19 outbreak.

The Code sets out the respective rights and responsibilities of providers, residents and visitors. Residential aged care facilities should:

  • allow residents to meet their visitors safely during an outbreak
  • minimise the risk of introducing or spreading COVID-19 within the residential aged care facility.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission also provides information on:

Communicating with families and loved ones

All residential aged care homes should prepare their communication systems in case they have an exposure, positive case or a COVID-19 outbreak.

The National COVID-19 Residential Aged Care Emergency Communication Guide provides guidance on communication in advance of and during a COVID-19 outbreak. It covers roles and responsibilities and communication protocols and processes for the Australian Government, State and Territory Governments, the ACQSC and residential aged care providers.

Further information is available on how to establish and maintain communications in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.

State and territory preparedness and response resources

Your state or territory has resources on how an outbreak in aged care will be managed in their jurisdiction. You should ensure you are familiar with the plan in your state or territory.

Australian Capital Territory 

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations

Vaccination continues to be important in managing the risk related to infectious diseases including influenza and COVID-19 in high-risk settings, such as aged care. It is very important to stay up to date with your vaccinations to aid protection against both infection and severe disease.

Residents of an aged care home have the right to choose to have vaccinations or not. They should be encouraged to talk to their doctor about whether they should also have the flu vaccination, which is recommended for everyone over 65. 

All aged care staff should make sure you stay up to date with your state or territory directions on flu vaccination requirements. 

ATAGI 2023 Booster advice update

For the best protection, the expert Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommends an early 2023 COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for adults aged 65 years and older or adults aged 18-64 years old who have an increased risk of severe COVID-19. 

Read the latest ATAGI 2023 booster advice.

Resources

Publications and fact sheets

Webinars

Staying informed

We have an aged care COVID-19 newsletter called ‘Protecting Older Australians’ with up-to-date advice on COVID-19 in aged care.

To stay up to date on aged care and COVID-19:

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