First of all, these are clearly guidelines, not a plan; they say so repeatedly.
#auspol #agedcarerc
Minus appendices, it is 20 pages long. "Comprehensive"? Hardly. #auspol #agedcarerc
"The primary responsibility of managing COVID outbreaks lies with the RCF...All RCF should have access to infection control expertise, whether in-house or not, and outbreak management plans in place." #auspol #agedcarerc
In the first two versions, there was no clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the federal government. We heard this at #agedcarerc today. #auspol
- State/territory public health section in the Departments of Health will act in an advisory role
- the regulator "takes a proportionate risk-based approach in responding to situations such as COVID-19"
But who's in charge? #auspol #agedcarerc
There's a handful of bullet points for each agency, most of which reiterate their usual functions. Hardly "comprehensive." #auspol #agedcarerc
Which is probably why we've seen such uneven outcomes across the sector, uneven training, uneven preparedness #auspol #agedcarerc
Here's the sole mention of the Dept of Health's training modules. Blink & you'd miss it #auspol #agedcarerc
For example, here's what it says about hygiene supplies. "Adequate". What does "adequate" mean? #auspol #agedcarerc
This "do it yourself" approach seems like an approach that is destined to result in uneven degrees of planning and preparedness. #auspol #agedcarerc
#agedcarerc #auspol
No advice about which types of facility set-ups could never safely do so (such as facilities with more than one bed per room, shared bathrooms). #auspol #agedcarerc
For example, what does "as far away as possible" mean when describing a reasonable distance between uninfected and infected residents.? #auspol #agedcarerc
It is a set of guidelines - clearly labelled as such - that is now being retrospectively dressed up as a "plan" by a federal government which should have done much more much sooner. #auspol #agedcarerc