New visitor access guidelines to be national standard after Government endorsement

This new Interim Guidance on Managing Public Health Restrictions on Residential Aged Care Facilities will strike a balance between the public health risk posed by COVID-19 while providing residents access to necessary emotional and physical care from their loved ones.

Advice from the ‘Essential Visitor’ concept in the Industry Code for Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes, developed by aged care consumer and provider peak bodies, was included in the new guidelines as a response to the ongoing Omicron lockdowns in aged care.

The guidelines endorsement has been welcomed by Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia, the Older Person’s Advocacy Network (OPAN), Dementia Australia, National Seniors, Carers Australia, and the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA).

Chief Executive of COTA Australia, Ian Yates AM, explains that two years ago aged care consumer and provider organisations united to develop the industry code due to concern over the health and wellbeing of older Australians that were impacted by COVID-19 related isolation.

He thanks the Minister for Aged Care, Greg Hunt; Minister for Aged Care Services and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, and the AHPPC for heeding the industry call for a sensible approach to aged care visitation during COVID-19 outbreaks.

“These principles set out a new way forward that respects the dignity of Australians receiving aged care while managing public health risks,” says Mr Yates.

“It’s crucial these guidelines are implemented rapidly by State and Territory Governments. This is a great step forward for aged care, and COTA will be watching with close interest for public health units to rapidly implement these principles in every jurisdiction across the nation.

“Despite national endorsements of the industry Visitor Access Code, COTA has still been receiving deeply concerning reports of aged care providers locking down unnecessarily and forcing people in their care into complete isolation. I certainly hope that such reports will now be few and far between.”

The new visitation guidelines will allow each resident to have at least one Essential Visitor see them at any time, including if there is a COVID-19 outbreak or exposure.

COTA will be encouraging people to report any breaches of the Code to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and will refer residents and families to OPAN to receive advocacy assistance.

Chief Executive of Dementia Australia, Maree McCabe, says the organisation is pleased that the Essential Visitor Policy has been adopted by the AHPPC.

“For older Australians receiving aged care, especially those living with dementia, their loved ones are actually providing care when they visit. That care is vital to their physical and emotional health,” says Ms McCabe.

“With these new national principles to guide providers and Public Health Units, we can now achieve a consistent national standard for aged care visitation that puts the health and dignity of older Australians at the centre.”

Provider peak bodies, the Australian Aged Care Collaboration (AACC) and the Aged Care Reform Network (ACRN), have urged the State and Territory Public Health Units to implement the new guidelines promptly.

“Severe workforce shortages continue to leave unfilled shifts, making the management of visits and basic services extremely difficult,” the AACC and ACRN state.

“The new guidelines will help bring some clarity to ongoing decisions about the balance between doing all we can to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections, whilst ensuring residents’ wellbeing through appropriate social supports.

“Providers have welcomed the new guidelines. We have been seeking a change to the guidelines so State and Territory Public Health Units can better balance infection control with the mental health and wellbeing of residents.”

Minister Hunt and Minister Colbeck have both expressed that the aged care visitation guidelines are an important step to protecting older residents from experiencing social isolation during strict COVID-19 management in aged care.

“The new advice will enable aged care providers to take a more flexible approach to visitation, and a more proportionate approach to locking down of facilities following an exposure or in the event of an outbreak,” says Minister Hunt.

“This decision will provide consistent guidance for States and Territories, and we encourage them to reflect this in their public health orders.”

Minister Colbeck agrees, saying, “We need to shift the balance from restricting visitors during an outbreak to providing access by at least one visitor per resident per day. This will assist to reduce the impact of the restrictions to date and provide families with more valuable time with their loved ones.

“Every effort is made to protect residents and with these processes in place, this provides the opportunity to safely increase visitation for residents.”