First SIRS insight report
Half of providers record serious incidents .
The first set of data from the Serious Incident Response Scheme ( SIRS ) has been released , with just under half of all providers reporting serious incidents .
Under the new scheme , which came into force in April , residential providers have been required to report serious priority 1 incidents to the Commission within 24 hours of becoming aware of the incident .
During the period 1 April to 12 May 2021 , the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission received 4,496 notifications from residential aged care providers .
1,876 ( 42 per cent ) were considered by the Commission to meet the criteria for a Priority 1 reportable incident .
Of the priority 1 incidents the most common fell under the category “ unreasonable use of force ”, with 778 such incidents reported .
This is over one hundred incidents of this kind per week during the period 1 April to 12 May .
There were also 448 incidents of “ neglect ”, 192 incidents of “ unexpected death ”, 163 incidents of “ unexplained absence ” and 149 incidents categorised as “ unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct ”.
The commission went on to investigate just 16 of these incidents .
2,620 of the incidents notified to the Commission by providers did not meet the criteria for Priority 1 reportable incidents .
The four-thousand-plus incidents were reported by 392 providers , or 47 per cent of the 835 active residential aged care providers nationally , at an average of 2.25 priority 1 incidents per provider .
Of these providers , the notifications made represent 954 individual aged care services , equating to an average of 0.69 priority incidents per individual service .
From 1 October 2021 , residential aged care providers will also be required to report Priority 2 reportable incidents to the Commission within 30 days of becoming aware of the incident . ■
New drug to halt dementia after multiple head injuries .
Sportspeople who sustain repeated blows to the head throughout their career could be spared the onset of dementia as a consequence , after a worldfirst study identified a new drug that halts the post-concussion development of a protein that causes the condition .
NRL player Boyd Cordner recently retired after multiple concussions . Photo : Mark Evans / Getty Images
Dementia defence
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CTE ) is the term used to describe the progressive brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas .
A team of researchers from Adelaide , Melbourne and the United States led by the University of South Australia showed how the brain releases a neurotransmitter called substance P in the event of a head injury .
This substance causes abnormal amounts of a protein known as hyperphosphorylated tau to collect inside neurons , which affects cognition and behaviour .
The university ’ s Emeritus Professor Bob Vink says blocking substance P with a specially developed drug is key to preventing tau protein – and in this way CTE – from developing .
“ Tau protein tangles are a feature of CTE , which reportedly leads to memory problems , confusion , personality changes , aggression , depression and suicidal thinking ,” Prof Vink said in a statement .
“ Our research shows that by blocking substance P with a specific drug , we can prevent the tau protein tangles from developing in the brain and causing neurological problems .”
The findings could carry significant benefits for athletes who play contact sports – such as boxers and footballers – as well as military veterans sustaining head injuries in conflict .
The drug has already proven successful in preventing CTE in animals . Prof Vink says the next step is human clinical trials , but they could take several years given CTE can currently only be diagnosed post-mortem . ■ agedcareinsite . com . au 3