COVID-19 Restrictions, Aged-Care Facilities

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:26): Supplementary: is the minister aware of any private providers of residential aged-care facilities who have implemented COVID restrictions and, if so, do they report to the minister?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:26): Not specifically to me but, as I said, there is a range of private aged-care facilities that have their own management plans in place. They may well communicate with the public health staff in SA Health about what those arrangements are, as well as with the federal Department of Health and Aged Care which, obviously, is the predominant regulator in this country of aged care, rather than the state government.

Based on what they are seeing in those particular settings, aged-care providers have the ability to introduce a greater range of those internal mechanisms to make sure that people are protected. This is similar to what aged-care facilities have been doing for many years in relation to managing influenza outbreaks as well, because we are obviously dealing with a vulnerable cohort of people, and those facilities need to take every step available to make sure that people are safe.

We don't have restrictions in place from a legislative point of view from the state government. We work with aged care. We provide them with advice and support, as do the federal government, and this is something which is ultimately regulated by the federal government because they regulate aged care, but we stand ready and willing to assist aged care where they need assistance in terms of managing the risks to their residents.