Aged care sector given ‘insufficient’ advice in preparation for deadly pandemic
No one knew who was in charge as COVID-19 ravaged two NSW aged care homes and the federal government’s attempts to prepare the sector for the pandemic were “insufficient,” according to a special report.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Named and shamed: NSW nursing homes that failed COVID standards
- Only 1 in 15 aged care homes get ‘unannounced’ spot checks
NO one knew who was in charge as COVID-19 ravaged two NSW aged care homes and the federal government’s attempts to prepare the sector for the pandemic were “insufficient,” according to a special report.
Infection control experts must be deployed to aged care homes to train staff, and every facility must have a qualified office as a “condition” of operating in the future, the Aged Care Royal Commission has recommended.
The Commission’s report on the impact of the first wave of the pandemic, when NSW homes Dorothy Henderson Lodge and Newmarch House suffered deadly outbreaks, identified “confused and inconsistent messaging” from all parties, including providers and the government, as a critical problem.
“All too often, providers, care recipients and their families, and health workers did not have an answer to the critical question: who is in charge?,” the report said.
“At a time of crisis, such as this pandemic, clear leadership, direction and lines of communication are essential.”
The Commission said the instructions given to aged care providers by the government based on the country’s top advisory group — the Australian Health Principal Protection Committee — were “in some respects insufficient” to prepare the sector.
The report recommended the government should immediately provide funding for adequate staff to allow residents to be visited by family and friends to improve mental health.
It also called for the “urgent” creation of Medical Benefits Schedule items to increase the provision of allied health services to people in aged care during the pandemic.
Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said the government had accepted six recommendations and had progressed four already.
“We’re not shirking any of this,” he said.
“We’re fronting up, we’re looking ahead to the future management of this terrible virus and we will continue to develop our plan.”
Mr Colbeck said the government maintained its position it “has a plan in place”.
The report also highlighted the failure of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s self-assessed preparedness surveys, in which 99.5 per cent of homes — including Newmarch House — gave themselves a pass.
Mr Colbeck said the ACQSC used a “number of tools” to assess the preparedness of providers.
“I think that the Commission took appropriate actions to ensure protection of residents, which is fundamentally what we’re all about,” he said.
Mr Colbeck said in the aftermath of the first wave the regulator was “much better placed” to undertake visits.
Labor’s aged care spokeswoman Julie Collins said the result of the government’s failures was a “national tragedy”.
“The foundations of our country’s aged care system have buckled under the pressure of a deadly disease and the Morrison Government did not do enough to stop it,” she said.
“Some families and loved ones were forced to say goodbye over Facetime.”
Ms Collins said the government “must be transparent” about implementing the Royal Commission’s recommendations.