Aged Care

Project Officer: Lara Leibbrandt
Phone: 8752 4911

Aged Care Overview

The Aged Care Team’s aim is to provide support to general practice/General Practitioners (GPs) and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) with a goal of enhancing access to services to improve the quality of care for residents of Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs).

CSGPN works closely with RACFs, GPs, AHPs and Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS) to facilitate access to aged care services.

NEWS ITEM

DO YOU HAVE PATIENTS IN RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE FACILITIES? – INFECTIOUS DISEASE SEASON IS HERE:
Click here for information of gastroenteritis and influenza in residents of aged care facilities.

INFORMATION FOR GPs

CSGPN Aged Care Program - the Aged Care Access Initiative (ACAI)
The aim of the Aged Care Access Initiative (ACAI) is to improve access to primary care -including GP and allied health services - for residents of aged care facilities.

The GP component of the ACAI recognises some of the difficulties faced by GPs in providing care in these settings and aims to encourage GPs to continue to provide increased and continuing services in RACFs. GPs who care for residents will be paid an Incentive Payment directly through Medicare Australia. This payment will be based on a the number of Medicare services provided by a GP in RACFs over a financial year

Funding of Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs)

Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) and Comprehensive Medical Assessments (CMA)
In March 2008, the ACFI replaced the Resident Classification Scale (RCS) as the method of determining residential care subsidies.  The ACFI is a funding tool; it measures only those care elements that best distinguish the costs of care.

    The ACFI was designed to:
  • better match funding to the complex care needs of residents;
  • reduce the documentation created by aged care providers to justify funding; and
  • achieve higher levels of agreement between aged care staff and departmental review officers in review audits (known as validation).

Comprehensive Medical Assessments (CMA)
A Comprehensive Medical Assessment (CMA, item 712) is not a requirement of ACFI - however, the contents of a CMA will assist RACF staff in completing an ACFI assessment. It is also recognized as best practice.

Recently CSGPN advised RACFs that concern had been expressed by many local GPs that some RACFs have either contracted with private medical companies or are in negotiation with private medical companies to complete CMAs on their residents. This trend has been met with alarm from CSGPN members. While CSGPN understands that most RACFs have not been taking this approach the following clarification was made:

  1. Doing CMAs on all residents is not required by the ACFI.
  2. Doing CMAs on all residents would be regarded by the MBS as overservicing.
  3. Outsourcing CMAs compromises the care of residents as their usual GP is disengaged from the care and treatment decisions by having a private company contracted to do CMAs. This is not best practice. We have had feedback from many GPs that they would withdraw their services from RACFs who compromised the care of their patients in this way.

Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) Services
Residents of Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) are eligible for comprehensive assessment and multidisciplinary care through Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) Services.

For further information: EPC/Chronic Disease
Or contact Lisa Maude on 8752 4902

Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres (CRCC)
The Inner West office of CRCC presents general practitioners and health professionals with time saving services. A single phone call by freecall 1800 052 222 will link you to your local centre, and up to date information about community services for patients, including costs and eligibility and assessment requirements.

Offering both

  • Quick access to information about community services
  • 24 hours support for carers who require urgent or planned respite.

Call 1800 052 222 to find out more or go to www.wesleymission.org.au/crcc to read more about our services, such as Mental Health Respite and Young Carer Program, and find links to useful information for your patients to take home.

INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE FACILITIES AND ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Aged Care Access Initiative (ACAI) information for Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)

CSGPN are managing the ACAI program. ACAI facilitates the provision of quality and related programs from AHPs in RACFs. Funding has been allocated following the initial round of submissions and will continue as per agreements.

In the 2009/10 financial year, ACAI applies to residents of low care Commonwealth funded RACFs, Services provided on an individual and group basis are eligible. AHPs cannot claim from Medicare for the same function performed under this initiative. These facilities (low care RACFs) will be informed by letter and allocated funding in the above allied health areas.

Individual services may include one-on-one services such as podiatry or physiotherapy. Group services might include group psychology sessions or exercise and falls prevention programs and staff education.

The CSGPN allied health priority program areas were based on a needs analysis conducted in 2008 and are:

  • Speech Pathology
  • Dietitian/Nutritionist
  • Physiotherapist/Occupational Therapist/
  • Exercise Physiologist/Diversional Therapist
  • Podiatrist
  • Specialist Nurse in Mental Health /Counsellor/Psychologist

Other Allied Health Service areas will be considered on a case by case basis.

Submissions were sought from RACFs for ACAI funding and contractual arrangements entered into with interested AHPs.

If you are a RACF or an AHP working in Central Sydney and are interested in the ACAI program please contact Lara Leibbrandt on 8752 4911.

SSWAHS PROVIDES SUPPORT AND ADVICE TO GPs and RACFs

SSWAHS Contacts and Services

The following services have been established to assist GPs and RACFs in the clinical care of residents.

Aged Care Triage Service (ACT)
The Aged Care Triage (ACT) Service is a partnership between RACFs, GPs and hospitals within the SSWAHS.

The aim of ACT is to provide the best care for residents of RACFs in the most appropriate setting. The ACT service offers clinical advice and can arrange services for residents to support their care within the RACF and to minimize the unnecessary transfer of residents to hospital.

The ACT can arrange outreach or outpatient services for clinical issues such as:

  • Wound management
  • Continence management
  • Behavioural issues
  • IV antibiotic therapy
  • Diabetes management

The ACT staff have access to other specialist nurses and on-call geriatrician should they need advice on how to best meet the needs of the resident. Contact the:

AGED CARE TRIAGE SERVICE (ACT)

on 1800 556 211 available 7 days, from 0800 hrs - 2200 hrs


Community Nursing (CHAIN) and Community & Post Acute Care Service (CAPAC)
SSWAHS has also introduced the Community & Post Acute Care Service (CAPACS) program. One of the aims of this initiative is to support GPs in caring for patients at home or in Residential Aged Care Facilities, who either have been discharged from hospital with ongoing support or to initiate care which enables patients to be cared for at home or in the aged care facility.

Community Nursing and CAPAC Guidelines
CHAIN GP Referral form

QUALITY AND REVIEW BY THE CSGPN QUALITY USE OF MEDICINES TEAM

NPS Drug Use Evaluation (DUE) for RACFs
Drug use evaluation (DUE) is a quality improvement activity which uses an ongoing cyclical process to improve the Quality Use of Medicines and health outcomes. It involves monitoring and reviewing drug use, evaluating and comparing it with best practice guidelines, and using multifaceted interventions to improve drug use and overall patient care - this cycle is repeated as often as necessary to achieve set goals. DUE activities put focus on specific disease states or therapeutic areas for residents of aged care facilities as well as hospitals. These priority areas are chosen based on evidence of a therapeutic problem, variation in prescribing or adverse outcomes, and existence of best practice guidelines.

    Why do a DUE?
  • To assist your aged care facility to meet components of the Residential Care Standards issued by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency
  • To comply with the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council Guidelines for medication management in aged care homes
  • To assist you to provide facility - focused activities to promote the quality use of medicines (QUM) in line with Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Guidelines and Standards
  • To contribute to your professional development and education; this activity is recognised by a number of professional bodies for continuing professional development points.

DUE kit for care homes

USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS AND WEBSITES

FOR INFORMATION ON ACCESSING SERVICES

Translation and Interpreting Services (TIS)
TIS Doctors Priority Line: 1300 131 450
To Register: 1300 655 820

The Doctors Priority Line is a free telephone interpreting service which helps medical practitioners to communicate with their non-English Speaking patients.

Medical Practitioners can use the Doctors Priority Line when providing services that are: Claimable under Medicare, and in private practices, as well as providing to non-English speakers who are Australian citizens and permanent residents.

Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre
Commonwealth Carer Resource Centres can give you up-to-date, relevant information about all the government programs designed to support carers

  • Carers Australia For carer information, counselling and support freecall (except mobiles) 1800 242 636
  • Carers NSW For carer information, counselling and support freecall (except mobiles) 1800 242 636
  • Council of the Ageing
  • Guardianship Board
  • Guardianship Tribunal
  • Local Government Information
  • The Aged Care Rights Service (TARS)
    The Aged-care Rights Service (TARS) is a community legal centre that provides advocacy for the residents of Commonwealth funded hostels and nursing homes, self-care retirement villages and recipients of in-home aged care in NSW. We also give information on the costs associated with entering an aged care facility and give advice on retirement village contracts. All calls to TARS are confidential.
  • NSW Transcultural Aged Care Service (TACS) The NSW Transcultural Aged Care Service (TACS) is for aged care service providers, community organisations, carers and other members of the community, providing information about cross-cultural resources such as training, translated materials, recipes, demographic data, contacts and links.

For clinical or program information

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Do you have patients in Residential Aged Care Facilities? – Infectious Disease Information for RACF patients

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