Department of Health says locking down aged care homes “not appropriate” unless there is a COVID-19 outbreak – but Victoria yet to adopt latest AHPPC advice to loosen visitor restrictions
The updated Industry Code does provide some leeway for Victorian providers however – see this story
Following Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, Janet Anderson’s advice on aged care visits last week, the Department has also provided us with a response on whether Melbourne aged care homes can close their doors to visitors during the current community outbreaks – here’s what they had to say. “The lockdown of services is not appropriate unless there is a COVID-19 outbreak, as these actions can have a negative impact on individuals in residential aged care,” their spokesperson told us. They pointed us to the ‘Industry Code for Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes during COVID-19’ which has recently been revised following the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) advice about easing visitor restrictions. “It includes references to the potential need for additional restrictions to be put in place by aged care providers where there are local clusters of COVID-19 cases in the vicinity of a facility,” they stated. However, the spokesperson noted that the AHPPC advice is put in place by the State and Territories depending on the local conditions and circumstances. “Victoria is yet to adopt the updated AHPPC advice,” they added. This advice had eased restrictions to allow visits by children under 16 and removed limits on how much time spouses and carers could spend with relatives. So, if Victoria hasn’t adopted these measures, do the state’s aged care providers need to follow them? When we approached Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) about whether the state had updated its visitation policies, we were referred back to the Department of Health. The Department spokesperson warned us that the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) is closely monitoring visitation policies in aged care homes. The updated Industry Code does provide some leeway for Victorian providers however – see this story.
