Audit Failures in Aged Care Facilities

For IPC leads in Australia and New Zealand, recent audit findings reveal a troubling truth: despite increased awareness, significant failures in IPC still occur, threatening our most vulnerable residents. This blog is a direct message to you, the frontline infection prevention champions, to examine these systemic issues and determine a clear path for lasting improvement.

Regulatory bodies and industry reports consistently highlight lapses in Infection Prevention and Control as a significant concern in aged care audits across Australia and New Zealand. These failures are more than just procedural oversights; they undermine resident safety and contribute to the rapid spread of infections, putting lives at risk.

Specifically, audits frequently uncover:

• Lack of Proper Hygiene Protocols: Basic practices such as hand hygiene, cleaning schedules, and waste management are often found to be inadequate. As IPC leads, ensuring these essential, yet critical, protocols are not just documented but consistently followed is crucial.

• Inadequate Sanitation: The environment can act as a source of infection if sanitation standards are not strictly upheld. This covers the cleanliness of resident rooms, communal areas, and high-touch surfaces.

• Failure to Train Staff on Effective Infection Control Measures: This is an ongoing and vital issue. Staff may lack the necessary skills, especially when caring for new residents with complex needs, or may not be sufficiently updated on the latest best practices and regulatory standards. The gap between knowing and doing, particularly in high-pressure situations, reveals a significant training shortfall.
  
  These deficiencies are often worsened by other systemic problems, such as insufficient staffing, which can cause delayed responses to care needs and reduced hygiene support, further raising infection risks. Likewise, poor documentation can hamper the ability to monitor infection incidents, identify trends, and deliver timely interventions, creating hazardous gaps in care.

Improving aged care isn't just about "passing an audit"; it's about fostering a culture of ongoing improvement that consistently prioritises resident safety and well-being. As an IPC lead, you must take proactive, strategic measures to shift your facility's approach to infection control.

1. Reinforcing the IPC Workforce and Culture
The most successful IPC programs are based on a knowledgeable and confident workforce.

• Implement Continuous, Targeted IPC Training: Your role is vital in developing and supporting strong training programs. These should cover all aspects of infection control, including new regulatory standards, specific protocols for various pathogens, and emphasise competency-based training, regular refreshers, and scenario-based learning. Importantly, empower your staff to feel comfortable reporting and addressing IPC issues without fear of reprisal. They are your eyes and ears on the ground.
  
• Building an IPC-First Culture of Quality: Shift the organisational mindset from merely avoiding audit penalties to genuinely delivering the highest standard of care, with IPC as a core element. This involves fostering open communication across all staff levels, encouraging feedback on IPC practices, and actively utilising audit results as a tool for targeted improvement rather than solely for punishment. Your leadership in nurturing this culture is essential.
  
  

2. Leveraging Technology for IPC Excellence
Technology is now a necessity, not a luxury, for strong IPC management and audit readiness.

• Automated Tracking for Training & Competency: Implement systems that monitor the completion of mandatory infection control training and evaluate staff competencies. This enables you to proactively identify and address training gaps before they lead to critical audit failures or, worse, outbreaks.
• Digital IPC record-keeping: Moving from paper to digital systems is essential. This guarantees that infection surveillance data, outbreak management plans, resident health records (including infection history and treatment), and staff training logs are accurate, easily accessible, and reviewable in real time. This greatly simplifies the auditing process, allowing auditors to efficiently verify IPC compliance and enabling you to rapidly identify trends and areas needing intervention.
  
  

3. Proactive IPC Oversight and Transparency
Waiting for an official audit to uncover IPC issues is a recipe for disaster. Being proactive is key.

• Regular Internal IPC Audits: As an IPC lead, you should promote and perform regular internal audits focused on infection prevention and control. These audits should mirror the formal regulatory process, enabling early detection of non-compliance with hygiene protocols, sanitation, and staff practices, giving your facility enough time to implement corrective measures. Consider peer-to-peer audits to encourage shared responsibility.
• Engaging Residents and Families in IPC Vigilance: Actively seek and value feedback from residents and their families about their experiences with hygiene and infection control. Their perspective is invaluable and can often help identify systemic IPC issues that may not be apparent solely from records or staff observations. This empowers them as partners in care.
• Transparent Communication with Regulators: Build a proactive and open relationship with regulatory bodies such as Australia's Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and New Zealand's Ministry of Health. Be transparent about IPC challenges your facility encounters and, importantly, present a clear, actionable plan for ongoing improvement. This fosters trust and positions your facility as a dedicated partner in safety.
  

The failures in IPC audits serve as a wake-up call but also present an opportunity. As IPC lead staff, you are in a unique position to drive this vital transformation. By consistently prioritising ongoing training, adopting technological solutions, and fostering a culture of proactive vigilance and transparency, we can move beyond simply "making amends" to genuinely revolutionise infection prevention and control in aged care.

Your dedication is the shield that protects our most vulnerable. Let these insights inspire you to explore further, innovate, and share best practices. The journey to flawless IPC is ongoing, but with your leadership, we can create aged care environments where every resident is truly safe from preventable infections. The time for deeper exploration, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to IPC excellence is here.

Concerned about compliance? IPS offers independent audits to help your facility meet requirements and, importantly, to track the success or failure of infection prevention and control strategies.

For more information, talk to EVE, our multilingual “bot” on the IPS HUB, or call our friendly team at support@infectionprevention.care 

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