Lessons for aged care from COVID-19

This is a submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, made on behalf of consumers.

Many aged care facilities have had only one or two infections, but others have had over 100 cases. This may be due to large differences in safety practices between residential care providers, leading to failures to contain outbreaks.

Most the responsibility for the lax safety practices at some nursing homes must lie with the Australian Department of Health. The Department provides 80% of the revenues of nursing homes, and is largely responsible for licensing, inspecting and sanctioning them.

Some infections are inevitable, as about 40% of staff and visitors who are infected may have detectable symptoms. Regular checks of residents for COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever and coughs, should help slow the spread of infections within a facility. Automated monitoring may help.