Outbreak Management Plan
Every aged care facility should have an outbreak management plan that clearly outlines what to do and who to contact in an outbreak. Residential aged care facilities may need a unique outbreak management plan due to organisational structure, environment, and legislation variations.
The Outbreak Management Plan should be
Documented and available upon request 
Developed by someone at the residential aged care facility who is familiar with the service's residents, employees, processes, and systems
Developed in collaboration with employees, health professionals, service providers, other community organisations, and in consultation with residents and their representatives
Should include a range of actions that can be escalated and de-escalated in response to a risk
Ready to be activated when required
Specific and detailed so anyone could put it into action
Tested with employees
Communicated to residents and representatives
Regularly reviewed and updated (recommended every three months)
Consistent with government and department guidelines
Comply with specific national, state, and territory guidelines
Outbreak Coordinator
An outbreak coordinator is essential in an outbreak to educate and direct the healthcare team to manage the outbreak.
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There should be an infection prevention and control lead (Australia) or Infection prevention personnel (New Zealand) in each residential aged care facility, as well as an outbreak management team trained in the principles of outbreak prevention and control. |
Outbreaks can occur on any shift or day. To ensure best practice, employees on each shift should know infection prevention and control strategies in case of an outbreak.