Lessons learnt: Infection prevention and control preparedness and response in residential aged care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

Lessons learnt: Infection prevention and control preparedness and response in residential aged care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

Su-yin Hor¹, Jennifer Plumb¹, Chris Degeling², Claire Hooker³, Lyn Gilbert<sup>3

1</sup>University Of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
²University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
³The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Introduction
The aged-care sector in Australia has experienced devastating impacts during the pandemic, and reports from inquiries into COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) have acknowledged the challenges in implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in RACFs. This study investigated the pandemic experiences of healthcare professionals in NSW and Victoria who were responsible for IPC policy, advice, and implementation in RACFs during the pandemic.

Methods
27 semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals were conducted and recorded online, and transcripts were analysed thematically.

Results
Preliminary analysis suggests that most RACFs were unprepared for the pandemic, with limited IPC capacities, including workforce knowledge and skills. There were significant negative impacts on the wellbeing of staff, residents and families, from uncertainty and fear, as well as the need to coordinate, communicate and cope with frequently changing restrictions, testing and reporting requirements. These challenges were compounded by lack of adequate staffing (including surge workforce) and exacerbated for facilities that were smaller, in rural and remote areas, and organisations that spanned State boundaries. The aged care workforce responded during the pandemic with courage and resourcefulness, but realised also the limits of resilience under extraordinary stress. Participants argued for an adequately skilled workforce, information infrastructures, and pandemic plans that were not only filed, but also practised, as cornerstones of pandemic preparedness.

Conclusion
This study contributes to recording, and learning from, the pandemic experiences of IPC experts in the aged-care sector, to support planning and preparedness for future infectious disease emergencies.

Biography

Suyin Hor is a social scientist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health at the University of Technology, Sydney. She specialises in patient safety, infection prevention and control, and collaborative learning in health care.