There are many horror stories in the media about shocking neglect and abuse of elderly and frail residents in some Australian aged care facilities, often perpetrated by untrained or poorly trained staff. These include alleged reports of elderly residents being physically, verbally and psychologically abused; denied adequate food or appropriate medical care; left covered in their own faeces and urine; and in pain from untreated injuries and infections. This litany of cruel treatment of the elderly is widespread, affecting as many as one elderly Australian in every 10.
In May 2017, following a review of abuse at the Oakden nursing home in Adelaide, the federal government announced an independent inquiry into the federal agency that manages aged care homes. Rather than focusing on individual nursing homes, the inquiry is investigating aged care accreditation, complaints, compliance and review processes.
Workforce compliance is essential to protect the needs of older Australians
Conducting background online checks and police clearance through Cited is essential to ensure all aged care personnel have a clean criminal record, to protect the needs of elderly Australians living in residential care. A National Police Check should be conducted for all employees as part of an aged care facility’s compliance management. It will verify a person’s criminal history and includes a bonus 100-point identity check, with a selfie, for added assurance that an individual’s identity has been confirmed.
Aged care workers must also be sufficiently trained, with first aid training and Certificates III and IV as basic competencies before being allowed to care for the elderly. Aged care facilities can request First Aid Checks and Certificate Checks to verify that all employees have the requisite health care training and skills to do the job properly. This protects the residents, ensures their needs are more competently met, and assists with risk management. In addition, an AHPRA Registration Check can be used to verify a practitioner’s registration, health profession and status of registration.
Check out the Cited Product Catalogue for all your workforce compliance needs.
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