In response to the Royal Commission into Aged Quality and Safety, the Department of Health and Aged Care provided PHNs dedicated funding to build capacity and capability within the residential aged care home (RACH) sector to support residents to access appropriate and timely healthcare.
Through engagement with key stakeholders to ensure key concerns were met, and further consultation with the aged care sector, a training and education package has been developed to support the residential aged care home workforce to increase awareness and management of deteriorating conditions in residents.
Named BERTIE - Better lives for residents through innovative education - this package of 20 self-paced learning modules combines a short and engaging video with a downloadable summary sheet and three question quick quiz to confirm understanding. Each topic will refer to one of three case studies, and/or have been peer reviewed by an aged care industry expert, aged care resident and/or First Nations clinician. The training package is not mandatory for RACH staff to complete.
BERTIE is free to all residential aged care workers across Victoria, including NSW border communities that fall under a Victorian PHN and is accessible via the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s ALIS platform.