Emergency planning and response is a crucial part of business activity in the aged care and retirement living sectors. Recent bushfire activity across Australia has demonstrated the importance of robust emergency plans to ensure residents and clients feel supported, and staff safe, during an emergency event.
As an aged care provider, you are required under the Aged Care Act 1997 and/or your aged care funding agreement with the Department of Health, to
- Maintain resident/client quality of care during an emergency event, and
- Have developed risk management plans that cover unanticipated emergency events, like heatwave, flood, bushfire and cyclone activity.
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The Department of Health in your State or jurisdiction, will need to be contacted during an emergency if you require resources or assistance to evacuate or relocate residents of your residential aged care facility or as a provider you are unable to meet your service obligations – refer to the Department’s webpage here.
The State and jurisdiction contacts are:
- ACT/NSW – 1800 852 649
- Queensland – 1800 300 125
- Northern Territory – 1800 355 348
- South Australia – 1800 288 475
- Victoria/Tasmania – 1800 078 709
- Western Australia – 1800 733 923
To assist providers ACSA has updated this webpage with links to Federal and State resources to help inform your emergency planning.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESOURCES
The Department of Health’s website offers information and resources relevant to the requirements of aged care providers during extreme weather. Resources include:
Bushfire Resources
General Emergency Planning Webpages
Offers a suite of checklists for Residential Aged Care, Home Care and CHSP.
General
Offers checklists for Residential Aged Care and Home Care and CHSP
This webpage provides information to further support providers in their planning for an emergency event or response to one. Considerations include:
- Having access to up-to-date weather conditions and alerts.
- Daily updates of resident or client numbers and names.
- Ensure Evacuation Plans are ready to be initiated.
The Bureau of Meteorology website provides up-to-date warnings and information about weather and climactic events. It provides helpful resources that can assist in your extreme weather event planning. Valuable resources include:
This Federal government website identifies disasters throughout Australia together with links to national and local resources. Emergency Management Australia can be contacted at recovery@homeaffairs.gov.au
This website provides information about how businesses impacted by bushfires can access support.
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LOCAL RESOURCES
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) (Refer also to NSW Resources)
Queensland
New South Wales
Northern Territory
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia
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