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This section will keep you up to date with news in the palliative care sector. Please note that the links below were current at the time of posting, however links may become obsolete as websites update their content.
The Australian Government introduced the Aged Care Bill 2024 to Parliament on 12 September. The Bill will be referred to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report. During this time, the Department will invite feedback on some of the rules that will sit under the new law. Subject to parliamentary processes, the new Aged Care Act is expected to take effect on 1 July 2025. Read more about the Aged Care Bill 2024 in this plain language fact sheet.
The Support at Home program set to take effect 1 July 2025 will include additional funding for end-of-life care. According to a Government announcement, older people with less than 3 months to live will be given priority access to the program’s dedicated highest funding classification for additional home care services ($25,000 for 12 weeks). The pathway will work in conjunction with, not replace, specialised palliative care services such as symptom management and advanced care planning. (Link to fact sheet) Exact details of how the scheme will operate are yet to be outlined.
The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is undertaking research on the abuse and mistreatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and/or asexual (LGBTIQA+) older people. Funded by the Australian Government, this project invites older LGBTIQA+ people to share their perspectives and experiences by participating in a survey, focus group, or interview study.
The National Palliative Care Projects Evaluation Survey is now open for aged care providers and workers to give feedback on Australian Government funded National Palliative Care Projects.
The survey is part of an independent evaluation to understand whether these projects are supporting better palliative care delivery in Australia. The survey closes on 30 September and takes 10 minutes to complete.
The updated Regulatory Strategy of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission describes how they will deliver on a commitment to protect older people, and how they hold providers and workers to account. This strategy underpins all of their regulatory action actions.
This Guide supports implementation of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and supplements the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare for the aged care workforce and those providing care for older people. The Guide outlines the basic principles of infection prevention and control and explains how to apply these principles using a risk-based approach.
New releases on the aged care workforce have been made available by AIHW including:
2023 Aged Care Provider Workforce Survey: Summary report This report presents a summary of the key findings from the 2023 Aged Care Provider Workforce Survey (the Survey) commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. The Survey provides information on the size, composition and characteristics of the aged care workforce in residential aged care and in-home care settings.
Aged care workforce webpage This page explores the role of aged care workforce and types of services.
This handbook provides guidance for aged care volunteer managers for volunteer engagement and management processes including recruitment, onboarding, retention, administration and further training and information. Aged care providers can also use this resource to support their volunteer managers.
OPAN is offering free in-person workshops aimed at helping aged care services better engage older people and families from diverse groups. Suited to people within aged care services responsible for quality improvement, service planning, and/or compliance. Covers topics: using data to understand your community; promoting service accessibility; areas to target within the Quality Standards; and setting goals and monitoring progress as part of continuous improvement. Workshops will roll out across Australia with dates available now for Victoria and Western Australia.
The End of Life Law for Clinicians (ELLC) training program is seeking expressions of interest from aged care providers who deliver residential aged care and/or home care services for the ELLC Pilot Study. This Australian-first study will develop aged care nurses’ and managers’ confidence, skills and knowledge in the law on end of life decision-making and palliative care, including the law on providing pain and symptom relief, through completion of online training modules. Participants will also complete pre- and post-training surveys and interviews to explore improvements in legal knowledge and confidence, and changes to aged care delivery. Gift cards and other benefits are available for participating.
Visit End of Life Law in Australia to apply. Expressions of interest close Friday 13 September 2024.