The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner is to establish a new scheme in the aged care sector to help reduce incidents of abuse and neglect in federally subsidised residential aged care services.
The Commissioner, Janet Anderson said that from 1 April the current compulsory reporting requirements in residential aged care would be replaced by a Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS).
“Under existing arrangements, aged care providers are required to report suspicions or allegations of unreasonable use of force or unlawful sexual contact with an aged care resident (with some exceptions),” Ms Anderson said.
“The SIRS will require providers to report a broader range of incidents to the Commission, and to have effective systems and processes in place to minimise and manage these incidents,” she said.
“Other reportable incidents under the scheme will include neglect, psychological and emotional abuse, and inappropriate use of physical or chemical restraint.”
Ms Anderson said incidents of abuse and aggression between consumers would also be in scope for reporting under the new Scheme.
She said the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission would be given additional resources to administer the Scheme.
“The objective of SIRS is to strengthen aged care providers’ capability to minimise the risk of serious incidents occurring, and to respond promptly and effectively if they do,” she said.
“The Commission will use the reports it receives to identify key risks in residential aged care and to reflect this information back to the aged care sector in order that providers can learn from it and improve the quality and safety of their services.”
Ms Anderson said the Commission would also use the SIRS reports as intelligence to inform its regulatory decisions and actions in relation to particular providers.
Further information about SIRS can be found on the Commission’s website at this PS News link.
