The Minister for Aged Care Senator Richard Colbeck (pictured left) issued the stern statement late on Thursday afternoon ahead of the national broadcaster’s 7.30 Program aired a story (pictured above) on the full lockdowns that many providers have put in place to protect residents – including the claim that homes had not been subject to inspections since the COVID-19 outbreak with some not ‘up to scratch’ on infection control.
You can watch the report here.
“The Federal Government rejects assertions by the ABC that there have been no inspections in nursing homes since the COVID-19 outbreak – or a commitment to infection control,” Minister Colbeck said.
“This is backed up by the statement from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, here. There has never been closer interaction between Government, regulator and the sector. The focus of all parties since the outbreak has been to ensure those most susceptible to the impacts of the virus have been protected and the sector prepared.”
The Minister then ran through the range of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 that the Government has provided to the sector since late January – including the fact that restricted access to aged care homes was a requirement directed by the National Cabinet, backed up by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA).
“Requests were made to put in place measures to ensure families can maintain connection with loved ones and to be sympathetic to individual issues particularly for those in palliative care and those with dementia,” he adds.
As reported here, aged care homes are still being monitored by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC), with 100 homes being targeted for inspection in the past weeks because they had previously had issues with infection control.
However, what makes the better headline – aged care providers trying to prevent the spread of deadly disease to elderly Australians or ‘More than a dozen aged care facilities have coronavirus cases’?
We note that the 7.30 Program has since added an editor’s note to include the facts that the ACQSC is conducting site visits where needed and the Minister’s comment on the need for residents to be protected and the sector prepared.
