Resource Library

A fact sheet outlining the new Aged Care Quality Standards.

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This guidance on the Serious Incident Response Scheme is for residential aged care providers. The Scheme comes into effect on 1 April.

Australians have a right to live free from abuse and neglect as a matter of human rights, current law and reasonable community expectation. These rights, which do not diminish with age, include the right to live dignified, self-determined lives, free from exploitation, violence and abuse. In addition, consumers of Commonwealth-funded aged care services have specific rights and expectations for safe and quality care and services. 

The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is launching on 1 April 2021. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is helping the aged care sector to prepare for the introduction of the scheme with information and resources and is hosting a series of webinars about the scheme. This first webinar provides an introduction to SIRS and the importance of incident management systems.

Click on the video below to watch a recording of the webinar. 

This fact sheet provides guidance to providers of aged care on an effective incident management system, the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS). The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is a new initiative to help prevent and reduce the risk of incidents of abuse and neglect in residential aged care services subsidised by the Australian Government.

This fact sheet provides guidance to providers of aged care on the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS), a new Government initiative to help reduce the risk of abuse and neglect for people living or staying in a residential aged care home. Australians have a right to live free from abuse or neglect. The SIRS will strengthen aged care systems to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect. It will also help to build providers’ capability to respond to serious incidents promptly and decisively, and to ensure that aged care consumers have the support they need.

This fact sheet provides guidance to aged care consumers, on their right to safe and quality care and to live without abuse or neglect. The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is a new Government initiative to help reduce the risk of abuse and neglect for people living or staying in a residential aged care home. The scheme requires aged care providers to identify, record, manage, resolve, and report all serious incidents that occur or are alleged or suspected to have occurred, in a residential aged care service.

This fact sheet provides updated information for providers of aged care on effective infection prevention and control capability. This is critical to the safe, effective delivery of personal and clinical care in aged care. This is particularly the case during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

This fact sheet includes information on:
- What is the infection prevention and control (IPC) lead?
- What are the requirements of the IPC lead?
- Where can I find out more about the requirements and timing of implementation of the IPC lead(s)?
- Which approved providers need to appoint an IPC lead?

On Thursday 10 December 2020, 5:00 pm-6:00 pm AEDT the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson hosted a webinar on the recently released new outbreak management planning in aged care guide for aged care providers.

Practical guidance to support COVID-19 outbreak management planning and preparation in residential aged care facilities

This short video explains how to assist residential aged care providers to support their workers, care recipients, families and visitors to prevent, prepare for and manage outbreaks of COVID-19. 
 

This fact sheet provides information on supporting partnerships in care safely while COVID-19 remains an ongoing risk. It will assist aged care providers work with partners in care and establish new partnerships. What is a partnership in care? This person-centred approach recognises an existing relationship and establishes an agreement between the resident, a partner in care, and the residential aged care service. Where a resident chooses to have a partner in care, that person may be involved in the delivery of services to, and the day-to-day care of, a resident.
 

The Storyboards and User Guides for this series are combined into one resource. To support the aged care sector, the Commission has developed a range of storyboards that are designed to illustrate key behaviours and priority issues. The storyboards are particularly helpful in supporting people whose English or literacy levels may be a barrier when it comes to accessing content and are relevant to all providers and consumers, their families and representatives across the aged care sector.

'Minimising Restraint in Home Services' storyboard and user guide

To support the aged care sector, the Commission has developed a range of storyboards that are designed to illustrate key behaviours and priority issues. The Storyboards and User Guides for this series are combined into one resource. The storyboards are particularly helpful in supporting people whose English or literacy levels may be a barrier when it comes to accessing content and are relevant to all providers and consumers, their families and representatives across the aged care sector. 

‘Minimising Restraint – Residential Aged Care Facilities’ storyboard

To support the aged care sector, the Commission has developed a range of storyboards that are designed to illustrate key behaviours and priority issues. The storyboards are particularly helpful in supporting people whose English or literacy levels may be a barrier when it comes to accessing content and are relevant to all providers and consumers, their families and representatives across the aged care sector. 

Advance Care Planning – Don’t Leave it Too Late 

To support the aged care sector, the Commission has developed a range of storyboards that are designed to illustrate key behaviours and priority issues. Storyboards are particularly helpful in supporting people whose English or literacy levels may be a barrier when it comes to accessing content relevant to all providers and consumers, their families and representatives across the aged care sector. 

Person Centred Care – Know Me Well resources

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the process for preparing to return several residents to their residential aged care facility (RACF) from hospital.

The Older Persons Advocacy Network has produced a video - Medication: It’s your choice, to give consumers an overview of the potential side effects of some medications and their right to make informed decisions about what medications they take.

In the event of an outbreak of COVID-19 at a residential service, the service’s Outbreak Management Team and key personnel at the service will be working in close co-operation with public health authorities and other parties to ensure an effective emergency response.  A key personnel template has been developed to assist providers in identifying key personnel of the service and their contact details to support this response. 

The Commission has produced a glossary of common terms to aid understanding of the aged care services sector. The list is not intended to be exhaustive and is provided as general information only. 

A web page version of the glossary, with hyperlinks to each individual letter for ease of searching can be viewed here.

You, your friends and family have a right to know how your residential aged care service is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have developed some common questions that you can ask your service provider during this time.