Course Access
Question and responses from Kelly Barton – presenter on the CoP
Vaccination:
Do we need to give information about pros and cons of each vaccination on or with the consent form? It’s best practice to, so that you have informed consent. Have attached the ones we use.
Do you ask again for vax consent before the vaccine is given?, because “valid consent must be obtained before administering each individual vaccine dose, according to the Australian Immunisation Handbook”. For the individuals that have capacity, yes. For those who do not no. In saying that no-one is vaccinated against their will – so its distressing to the resident we try again later.
Can we get a sample of this vaccination consent form please? Would love to share and use this for our organisation. Have sent. You may need to customise to your organisation’s requirements though.
AMS:
Where was the antimicrobial drug usage report generated from? Is it from electronic medication management software? From our electronic medication software that is used at our health service for RAC. Not sure if we can mention brands Carrie? BESTmed is what we use.
Governance:
Any suggestions in working with leadership that views IPC as a portfolio rather than a unique role? I would suggest management doing the ACIPC foundations course – which I know is unlikely. Then they would get a proper understanding of the role of IPC. However as that is unlikely to have broad uptake, use the accreditation standards. The strengthened standards that were just released: Strengthened Quality Standards – August 2025 – Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Services need to meed these IPC requirements within these to pass accreditation. These requirements cannot be met with a “portfolio”, not unless managers are prepared to take on a decent chunk of the tasks.
Outcome 4.2: Infection prevention and control Outcome statement: The provider must have an appropriate infection prevention and control system. The provider must ensure that aged care workers use hygienic practices and take appropriate infection prevention and control precautions when delivering funded aged care services.
Outcome 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services Outcome statement: The provider must ensure that individuals, aged care workers, registered health practitioners and others are encouraged and supported to use antimicrobials appropriately to reduce risks of increasing resistance. The provider must ensure that infection risks are minimised and, if they occur, are controlled effectively.
IPC lead Role:
How many days do I need a fortnight to do the IPC lead role? We have ours do 1 day per fortnight at each facility. But I guess it really depends on the size of your facility, how many staff and residents.
What is the point of pay grade difference for your IPC staff? Our IPC Lead is paid the highest grade for the EN in Victorian EBA.
How does it go if you’re not onsite during an outbreak? Our senior management team are also expected to effectively manage an outbreak. If there is not IPC or IPC Leads, the NUM is required to do the line lists and communicate with the public health unit. We have a suite of documents & checklists to follow. In Victoria we follow Acute respiratory infection management in residential care facilities | health.vic.gov.au
National National Outbreak Management Guideline for Acute Respiratory Infection (including COVID-19, influenza and RSV) in Residential Aged Care Homes