KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE AGED CARE ROYAL COMMISSION CORONAVIRUS REPORT
* Ensure all aged homes have one or more trained infection control officers as a condition of accreditation.
* Deploy accredited infection control experts to homes to provide training and assist with the preparation of outbreak management plans and outbreaks.
* Ensure significant outbreaks in facilities are investigated independently and results are shared promptly to the sector.
* Create protocols in the plan about who will decide if residents with COVID-19 are transferred to hospital.
* Provide funding to providers to ensure adequate staff are available for continued visits to homes by family and friends.
* Increase the provision of allied health services, including mental health services, and remove any barriers unless justified on genuine public health grounds.
* Establish a national aged care advisory body and plan in consultation with the sector.
Source: Aged Care and COVID-19: A Special Report by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Australian Associated Press
