Updates and Media Releases

Updates and Media Releases

Updates

Federal Budget

2023-24 Federal Budget

The Australian Podiatry Association (APodA) welcomes the 2023-24 budget and acknowledges the outlined initiatives are a positive step towards improving the healthcare system, and we welcome these reforms.

A number of welcome announcements that seek to strengthen and improve Australia’s health care system and more specifically, allied health’s ability to continue to provide care are listed below:

  • $445.1mill over 5 years to support GPs to have nurses and allied health professionals working with them in cooperation for better care
  • $98.9mill over 4 years to connect frequent hospital users to general practices to receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary care in the community
  • $79.4mill over 4 years to support PHNs to commission allied health services to improve access to multidisciplinary care for people with chronic conditions in under-serviced communities.
  • $6.1 million to support allied health professionals in developing real pathways to data liquidity via My Health Record

The APodA will continue to monitor how these proposed funding initiatives will impact podiatrists and the overall allied health professions. We hope that these initiatives will provide greater opportunities for podiatrists and other allied health professionals to work collaboratively with other healthcare providers and deliver better patient outcomes.

To learn more click HERE

Aged Care

ELDAC End of Life Law Toolkit

The ELDAC End of Life Law Toolkit has just released 2 new printable fact sheets to support your staff with answers to frequently asked questions about consent to medical treatment for older people in residential aged care and home care.

These fact sheets are free, evidence-based, and developed by experts in end of life law.

ELDAC FACT SHEETS
Consent to medical treatment: A guide for aged care providers - Click HERE

This fact sheet answers FAQs about consent to medical treatment for older people in aged and home care.

Consent for minor or routine treatment in aged care - Click HERE

This fact sheet details the limited circumstances in which medical treatment may be provided without consent.

Aged care reform roadmap

To help you navigate the changes across aged care, we want to let you know about upcoming activities so you can have a clear view of what is coming, get involved and prepare for the changes ahead. The roadmap shows the key activities from October 2022 to July 2025.

The dates on the roadmap are subject to change, and this page will be updated regularly to keep you informed.

Click HERE to view the most up-to-date roadmap

What's planned for the rest of the year:

July 2023

August 2023

October 2023

  • From 1 October, the mandatory residential aged care minutes will increase to 200 minutes. This will include 40 minutes from a registered nurse to improve the quality of care that older people receive.
  • Enrolled Nurse Care Minutes - delivered in residential aged care will be published with Star Ratings on the My Aged Care ‘Find a Provider’ Staffing pages.
  • Aged care providers are required to submit annual information about their operations by 31 October.

December 2023

  • The exposure draft for a Bill for a New Rights-Based Aged Care Act will be ready as part of the consultation process for the legislation.
  • 24/7 Registered Nurse coverage in residential aged care will be published with Star Ratings on the My Aged Care ‘Find a Provider’ Staffing pages.
  • Release of the national aged care data and digital strategies, that will collectively improve the lives of older people through digital connection and support informed choices about care.
Medicare/Primary Care/DVA

Strengthening Medicare Taskforce



The Minister for Health and Aged Care established the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce to provide recommendations on the highest priority improvements to primary care.

The Australian Government is committed to improving primary health care for all Australians. The Strengthening Medicare Taskforce began work in July 2022 to provide concrete recommendations to the Australian Government by the end of 2022. The taskforce will focus on:

  • improving patient access to general practice, including after hours
  • improving patient access to GP-led multidisciplinary team care, including nursing and allied health
  • making primary care more affordable for patients
  • improving prevention and management of ongoing and chronic conditions
  • reducing pressure on hospitals.

The Australian Government will consider the recommendations from the taskforce and deliver the highest priority improvements to Medicare through the $750 million Strengthening Medicare Fund.

The taskforce builds on Australia’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan 2022-32.

Greener Allied Health Hub

Allied health professionals have an important role to play in decarbonising our health system.

APodA Members: If you or your team are working towards a greener future, the APodA would like to hear your story. Please email the Advocacy Team at Advocacy@podiatry.org.au your story or arrange a callback.

Resources

Green Podiatry Learning:

Access useful resources about allied health:

​Publications

Access useful publications about allied health:
General Updates

General Updates

14th December 2023 - Introduction of national Cosmetic Surgery Standards

Widespread concern about the safety of Australians undergoing cosmetic surgery has led to the introduction of national Cosmetic Surgery Standards to protect people from harm.

Today the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released the National Safety and Quality Cosmetic Surgery Standards as part of broader reforms agreed by Health Ministers.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the Medical Board of Australia are also implementing important changes that are aligned with the standards.

Cosmetic surgery employs invasive surgical procedures, to revise or change the appearance, colour, texture, structure or position of normal bodily features and often involving cutting beneath the skin, with the dominant purpose of achieving what the patient perceives to be a more desirable appearance.
Cosmetic surgery is not used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness, disease or other medical conditions. In this context, cosmetic surgery does not include nonsurgical cosmetic procedures such as cosmetic injectables.

To access this information and more click HERE

14th December 2023 - Arthritis Australia

Arthritis Australia is excited to launch our newest online resource, Moving with Arthritis. A website designed to support people living with arthritis become more physically active.

Living with arthritis poses unique challenges, often making physical activity and exercise hard to do. Still, physical activity and exercise are one of the most effective treatments for arthritis. It can improve mobility and flexibility of joints, muscle strength, posture, and balance. It can also decrease pain, fatigue, muscle tension and stress.

Moving with Arthritis is designed to empower people living with arthritis to move more and live better with arthritis by connecting them with information on the benefits of exercise for arthritis, tips to get moving and a range of arthritis-safe online and in-person exercise programs.

You can visit the website at the following link: https://movingwitharthritis.org.au/

11th December 2023 - SIRA (NSW)

SIRA requests your assistance to inform your members about the new Guidelines

SIRA wishes to ensure that practitioners are aware of the new requirements for them under the Guidelines and we will be communicating commencement of the Guidelines using a variety of means. Your assistance in communicating this news to your members would be very much appreciated.

About the Guidelines

The Guidelines specify SIRA’s service and billing expectations for services delivered by health and health-related service providers in the WC and CTP schemes, including podiatrists. The Guidelines can be found on this page. On this page you can also find SIRA’s Supervision of Relevant Service Providers: Information for Providers.

Significant new requirements for podiatrists include:

  • a code of conduct for providers working in the schemes
  • new requirements around telehealth
  • new invoicing requirements.

The Guidelines are part of SIRA’s approach to health and related provider regulation that commenced with the 2022 amendments to the State Insurance and Care Governance Act 2015 and the State Insurance and Care Governance Regulation 2021. The Act provides the power to issue a direction, for the Regulation to specify the circumstances in which a direction is given, and for SIRA to issue Guidelines.

What this means for your members

SIRA acknowledges that the vast majority of providers in the schemes do the right thing, however there are outliers with patterns of poor practices such as overcharging which SIRA needs to address. SIRA does not intend to use this regulatory framework to intervene in individual patient care.

Unless there is a risk of harm, SIRA’s general response to non-compliance will be to start with communication and education - engaging with the provider to help them come into compliance. If the provider continues to not comply, ultimately SIRA can issue a direction to a provider and has the power to suspend or exclude a provider from working in the schemes.

The requirements for podiatrists

Different parts of the Guidelines apply to different providers and apply differently in the WC and MA schemes. These are the parts of the Guidelines that apply to podiatrists:

Scheme

Parts that apply to podiatrists

WC
  • Part 1: Code of conduct
  • Part 2: Requirements for telehealth services
  • Part 5: Billing requirements
  • Part 6: Invoicing requirements (excluding pharmaceutical services)

CTP
  • Part 1: Code of conduct
  • Part 2: Requirements for telehealth services

Part 8 of the Guidelines also sets out which parts apply by provider and by scheme.

SIRA made a number of changes to the Guidelines in response to feedback raised during consultation. Further detail on changes in response to feedback can be found at the Outcomes tab here: https://www.sira.nsw.gov.au/consultations/draft-guidelines-for-the-provision-of-relevant-services-health-and-related-services. SIRA appreciates those who took the time to participate in the consultation on the draft Guidelines.

If you have any further questions about the Guidelines, please contact healthpolicyandsupervision@sira.nsw.gov.au

24th November 2023 - SA Government Child Safe Environments

The Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 (the Act) was introduced 1 July 2019. It requires paid employees (including self-employed) or volunteers to have a working with children check (WWCC) if they work in a prescribed position.

Prescribed positions include positions in which a person works, or in the ordinary course of his or her duties, it is reasonably foreseeable that a person in that position will work with children.

A person works with children if they provide a service or undertake an activity that is child-related work in the course of their employment.

In the context of health services, the legislation provides in section 6(1)(j):

For the purposes of this Act, the following services or activities are child-related work:

health services for children

The Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Regulations 2019 (the Regulations) provide for a more complete definition in regulation 7(5):

a reference to health services for children will be taken to include a reference to allied health services for children.

For medical practices or allied health centres where services or activities are provided to adults and children, medical professionals will require a WWCC if it is reasonably foreseeable that they will provide a service to a child.

South Australian practices are required to submit a new compliance statement every 5 years (or whenever their policies are updated), and requirement to have a WWCC if they have clients under the age of 18 years.

To aid you in completing your policy, please go to Guideline to Writing Policy. This resource will assist podiatrists who work with them in developing a child-safe policy. This has been drafted for Sole Traders with/without employees. Organisations can use the headings and suggested content to develop a policy that will capture all SA legislative requirements.

Additional resources to support your policy development:
COVID-19 Updates

General Guidance:


Providing healthcare in person - https://www.health.gov.au/topics/covid-19/health-sector/health-professionals#providing-healthcare-in-person

Our resources for providing healthcare, provides the full list of guidance and fact sheets for health professionals and providers. 

Stay protected and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by:

  • maintaining good hygiene, including the 5 moments for hand hygiene approach when dealing with patients
  • regularly cleaning the environment and equipment
  • assessing the patient’s risk of COVID-19 before face-to-face contact, and using personal protective equipment (PPE) suited to the risk and the setting
  • giving your patient a surgical mask to wear if they have been exposed to COVID-19 or have respiratory symptoms.

See the:

State Guidance:

ACT (reviewed 11/01/24)
What to do if you test positive for COVID-19

If you test positive on a RAT, please register your result using our online form.

Although this is no longer mandatory, it helps ACT Health connect you to useful information and support. Registration of a positive RAT result also helps ACT Health monitor the COVID-19 situation.

While it is no longer mandatory to isolate if you test positive to COVID-19, you should still stay at home and take steps to protect those around you.

You should also maintain appropriate separation from other people in your household.

If you need to leave the house you should:

If you cannot delay visits to a high-risk setting, seek prior approval from the place and follow any COVID-19 policies or guidance they have in place.

If you work in a high-risk setting, a longer period of staying away from your workplace may be recommended to protect other staff, patients, residents and visitors.

Check what your workplace policy is for COVID-19 and talk to your employer about when you should return to the workplace

If you test positive to COVID-19 you should tell the people who live with you and those you've spent time with so they can monitor for symptoms.

They should follow the advice for people exposed to COVID-19 if they have been in the household with you during your infectious period.

Your infectious period is from 2 days before you started having symptoms or tested positive (whichever came first).

If you test positive for COVID-19, ACT Health may contact you with further information.

https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/stay-safe-and-healthy/information-for-people-who-test-positive-for-covid-19

Victoria (reviewed 11/01/24):

COVID-19 information for the health sector - https://www.health.vic.gov.au/covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19

COVID-19 person diagnosed with COVID-19 should:

  • isolate until 5 days after the date of the positive test result for COVID-19 and until resolution of acute symptoms of COVID-19. They should not attend a workplace or education facility during this time
  • not leave isolation if experiencing acute symptoms of COVID-19: runny nose, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills and/or sweats
  • not go to a healthcare facility or residential care facility for a period of 7 days and until resolution of acute symptoms of COVID-19
  • not visit people at high-risk of severe illness for a period of 7 days and until resolution of acute symptoms of COVID-19
  • have a negative rapid antigen test before visiting any healthcare facility, residential care facility or person at high risk of illness, taken on the day of attendance
  • wear a face mask for 7 days after a positive test when they need to leave home, and are indoors, or unable to physically distance.
  • A negative rapid antigen test result is a helpful tool to determine if a case is likely to be no longer infectious but should be interpreted in conjunction with the case’s symptoms and duration of illness.

NSW (reviewed 11/01/24)

Link to Information HERE .

Steps for workers who test positive 

A worker who tests positive to COVID-19 is most infectious in the 2 days before symptoms appear and while they have obvious symptoms. A person may be infectious for up to 10 days. 

Workers should follow the NSW Health advice for testing positive and read the information below about returning to work. 

NSW Health recommends workers: 

  • Stay home until their obvious symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever) have gone. Medical clearance may not be necessary for a worker to return to the workplace.
  • Talk to their employer about when they should return to the workplace. Timeframes may vary depending on various factors, including the type of industry and workplace.
  • In high-risk settings such as health, disability and aged care, workers should stay home for 7 days and until they have no symptoms. This will help protect other staff, patients, residents and clients.  
  • If an employer needs the worker to return to the workplace before this time, the employer may ask the worker to take additional steps to protect others, depending on their work, and a health and safety assessment. 

QLD (reviewed 11/01/24)

Workers and QAS officers entering high-risk settings

If you work in a high-risk setting and have been diagnosed with COVID-19, you should only return to your workplace if:

  • at least 7 days have passed since you received a positive COVID-19 test result and
  • your acute respiratory symptoms and fever have resolved, apart from mild residual symptoms such as a mild dry cough and
  • you comply with any additional infection control procedures required by your employer.
  • If you have tested positive to COVID-19 and work in a high-risk setting, you should work from home where practicable. You should talk to your employer to discuss options available to you and any additional measures to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmission in your workplace.

Link to further information can be found HERE

SA (reviewed 11/01/24)

If you test positive in a PCR test, you will receive a text message from SA Health and/or the laboratory telling you that you have tested positive for COVID-19.

If you test positive using a rapid antigen test, you should report your positive result. After you have reported your result, you will receive a text message from SA Health with more information.

To reduce the risk to others, if you test positive to COVID-19, you should:

  • Stay home until your acute symptoms have cleared (usually 5 to 7 days)
  • If you must leave the house, wear a mask when indoors or on public transport
  • Avoid large gatherings and crowded indoor places
  • Don’t visit people at high risk of severe illness, or anyone in a hospital, or aged or disability care facility for at least 7 days.
  • Speak with your employer about when to return to work. If you work in a high-risk setting such as a health, disability and aged care, you might need to stay away from work longer to protect other staff, patients, residents and clients.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you may be infectious for up to 10 days but you are most infectious in the two days before your symptoms start and while you have symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever).

What to do if I have COVID-19? - Click HERE

NT (reviewed 11/01/24)

It is no longer a requirement to self-isolate following a positive COVID-19 test. It is your responsibility to stay at home whilst you feel unwell and show symptoms to limit the spread and protect our community.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you may be infectious for up to 10 days. To reduce the risk to others, it is recommended you:

  • stay home if unwell, even if your symptoms are mild
  • practise personal hygiene including hand washing or using hand sanitiser
  • maintain a distance of 1.5 metres away from others where possible
  • wear a mask indoors and outdoors when social distancing is not possible
  • avoid visiting people at high risk of severe illness, people in hospital, aged care or disability facility for at least 7 days.

Talk to your employer about when you should return to the workplace. If you work in a high-risk setting such as health, disability and aged care, you may be required to stay away from your workplace for longer to protect staff, patients, residents, and clients.

Link: https://health.nt.gov.au/covid-19/managing-covid-19/if-you-test-positive

WA (reviewed 06/11/23)

If you have COVID-19, please stay home if you have COVID-19 until your symptoms have resolved to protect our community. This could take up to 10 days or more and a minimum of 5 day is a good guide.

You can recover from COVID-19 at home if your symptoms are mild.

WA Health Guidance:

  • Manage your symptoms with rest and pain relief. Remember to check with your doctor if you are eligible for antiviral treatment.
  • Stay at home until your symptoms resolve. This could take up to 10 days or more. A minimum of 5 days is a good guide.
  • Don’t forget to tell anyone you have had close contact with that you have COVID. You’re most infectious 2 days before symptoms start.
  • To protect those most at risk from COVID-19, for 7 days after testing positive for COVID-19 you should not visit or work in high-risk settings including hospitals, disability, mental health and aged care residential facilities and other healthcare settings (e.g., ambulance services, GP clinics, physiotherapy).
  • You can still attend public hospitals and high-risk settings for urgent medical care or treatment, but you should contact the facility to let them know you have tested positive for COVID-19.

TAS (reviewed 06/11/23)

Reduce the risk to others

If you have COVID-19 or other respiratory viruses like the flu, you can infect others. Follow the behaviours we have learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect your family and friends.

If you test positive for COVID-19 you may be infectious for up to 10 days.

You are most infectious:

  • just before your symptoms start, and
  • while you have acute symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever).

To reduce the risk to others you should stay home until your symptoms have resolved.

  • at least seven days Public Health recommends:
  • wearing a face mask in indoor spaces, on Public Transport, and when visiting people who may be at risk of severe illness 
  • avoid visiting high-risk settings including a hospital, or a residential aged care facility or disability residential setting 
  • avoid large gatherings and indoor crowded places.

Link: https://www.health.tas.gov.au/health-topics/coronavirus-covid-19