What does a good infection prevention control system look like within a rights-based framework and why does clinical governance matter?

Dr Mandy Callary¹

¹Chief Clinical Advisor, Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission

Biography:

Mandy is a geriatrician from South Australia. She graduated in medicine from Flinders University in 1987 and achieved Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, specialising in Geriatric Medicine in 2001.

Her first few years as a consultant geriatrician were at the Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, and Flinders Medical Centre, but she then moved to the Royal Adelaide Hospital as well as to private practice at Calvary Rehabilitation Hospital. Mandy also accepted a non-executive director’s position on the board of the not-for-profit aged care provider Southern Cross Care (SA NT & Vic) Inc. in 2004.

Mandy considers herself to be primarily a clinician. As a geriatrician, she has provided medical assessment and care to many older people wherever they be, including in their homes, in residential aged care facilities, and in the hospital and healthcare systems.

Mandy values her 20-year experience as an aged care board member, as it has provided her considerable insights into how the aged care sector operates, how it conducts itself, and how, in her new role as Chief Clinical Advisor, she could best support the sector to improve the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of older people receiving aged care services. In addition to her role a Chief Clinical Advisor, Mandy also works one day a week at CARE Repat Health Precinct, Daw Park – which is a small emergency department for older people, providing hospital substitution care.

Abstract:

The Aged Care Act/Rules and Strengthened Quality Standards are bringing great changes to the aged care sector. What does a good infection prevention control system look like within a rights-based framework and why does clinical governance matter? Dr Mandy Callary, Chief Clinical Advisor to the Aged Care Commissioner has a strong focus on the governance of preventable infection in aged care. Dr Callary will talk about the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s focus on antimicrobial stewardship and access to vaccinations under the Strengthened Quality Standards. This session brings these topics together and encourages aged care providers to strive for best practice in service provision.