news
Downward trend
Fewer providers can meet quality standards : report .
By Elise Hartevelt
An aged care watchdog report has revealed a five-year downward trend of Australia ’ s providers meeting quality standards .
Just over half of the nation ’ s aged care providers met the benchmark for personal and clinical care , according to data from the Productivity Commission ’ s ( PC ) report .
Since 2017 , there has been a 12.5 per cent decline in providers receiving the three-year-mark re-accreditation status . Providers receive re-accreditation from the quality commission if they meet compliance with all eight standards , such as consumer dignity and clinical care .
Obtaining accreditation is necessary for providers to secure government funding .
The data highlights how chronic staffing shortages , five-year financial losses and a pandemic have impacted aged care providers .
For example , only 46 per cent of NSWbased providers met personal and clinical care standards .
Moreover , just over half of the state ’ s providers fulfilled the norm of operating with sufficient skilled staff .
There has been a 20 per cent decline in providers being issued a third reaccreditation status over the past five years .
Chair of the Productivity Commission , Michael Brennan , said the data sheds considerable light on the services delivered to ‘ some of our most vulnerable members of the community .’
“ Understanding the quality and safety of the services is an important part of ensuring that the significant investments governments make are effective ,” Brennan said .
“ This type of data helps improve transparency and the accountability of governments to the communities they serve .
“ Understanding the impact that this government expenditure is having on the lives of Australians is critical to understanding value for money for the community .” ■
New arrival
Green light for fifth booster .
By NCA NewsWire
The federal government has urged everyone over 65 to get a booster shot after data revealed 4 million Australians had been struck down by Covid-19 during the last wave .
More than 2,600 Australians have died from the virus since October and around 800 of those deaths were aged care residents .
The government recently announced it had accepted advice from the nation ’ s vaccine advisory to expand eligibility for a Covid booster to all Australian adults from February 20 .
Picture : Martin Ollman / Getty Images .
Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation ( ATAGI ) said those at risk of severe illness , including everyone aged 65 and over , should get the 2023 booster .
“ The government has secured millions of doses of Omicron-specific boosters , with millions more arriving this month , in the largest one-month arrival since late 2021 ,” said Health Minister Mark Butler .
“ If you ’ re 65 or over , or you ’ re an adult at risk of severe Covid illness , and it ’ s been six months since your last booster or infection , it ’ s now time for a booster .”
The government has four million Omicron-specific booster doses available right now and another 10 million arriving later in February .
All available Covid vaccines are anticipated to provide a benefit for this booster dose , but Omicron-specific mRNA booster vaccines are preferred over other vaccines , according to ATAGI .
Butler is optimistic the end of the Omicron wave is on the horizon but concedes it has lingered longer than expected .
“ There ’ s no doubt that this wave has endured for longer than was expected … longer than the advice that was received by governments ,” he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday .
“ It was not short or sharp . It lingered for longer and had a very significant impact on the community , our health care system and many individuals , tragically resulting in the loss of many lives .”
Since the wave began in October , more than one million people have registered as contracting the virus .
But the minister said the true number of Australians infected was estimated to be between three to four million .
Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said that while those numbers were still high , they were less than previous Omicron waves .
“ The flattered curve that we had at this wave demonstrates to me that there is a large amount of retention right now in the community in terms of hybrid immunity ,” he said . ■
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