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© Copyright, State of Victoria, Department of Health, 2014
This publication is copyright, no part may be reproducedby any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.
Authorised and published by Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
July 2014
The HACC response service is supported by funding from the Commonwealth Government and Victorian Government under the HACC program.
Contents
Introduction
HACC response service objective
Service configuration
Due recognition of HACC program funding
Integration of Personal Alert Victoria and HACC response service
HACC response service roles
Emergency management
HACC response service principles
HACC Quality Framework
HACC fees policy and care, active service model and diversity plans
HACC response service coordination and community care worker pool
HACC response service target group
People ineligible for the HACC response service
Eligibility and assessment
Service registration and service provider access
Short term personal alarm rental
Referral to the HACC response service due to loss of nominated contacts
Service availability and response time
Home visit (call out) and follow-up process
Changing the key safe code
PAV service provider procedures and the HACC response service
HACC MDS Data collection and reporting
Appendix one: HACC response service form templates
Introduction
The HACC response service is funded under the HACC Activity Service System Resourcing. These guidelines document the eligibility, assessment and registration requirements for the HACC response service along with the procedures and processes required to implement the HACC response service. They have been developed in consultation with stakeholders involved in the delivery of the HACC response service. These guidelines constitute part of the Victorian Home and Community Care program manual (2013). They should be read in conjunction with the Personal Alert Victoria program and service guidelines which are available at These guidelines are available at <
HACC response service objective
The objective of the HACC response service is be the incident contact for people using Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) others as defined in these guidelines, without family or other informal contacts. Response to an incident or potential incident could be triggered by the person pressing their incident alarm button or because the person has not made their daily call to PAV and cannot be contacted by PAV. The HACC response service will provide a prompt home visit.
Assistance offered will vary according to individual needs but may include:
•personal care due to illness
•guiding a person up from a fall
•assistance to bed after a minor fall
•assistance with mobility problems (for example, a wheelchair that is stuck)
•support and reassurance after a fright
•assisting a person who is locked out of their dwelling.
The HACC response service cannot provide:
•medical assistance
•response to possible suicide
•assistance with domestic or other violence
•regular assistance with personal care
•mental health assistance.
The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Personal alarm units funded by the Victorian Government are provided through a contracted service provider(s). This program is called Personal Alert Victoria (PAV).
Service configuration
The Department of Health may fund the HACC response service in a variety of configurations, for example:
•a single organisation model providing incident response services 24 hours a day, seven days per week, 365 days per annum at either a statewide or region-wide level
•a multi-organisation model using after-hours services and purchasing services for office hours response from regular services.
Due recognition of HACC program funding
Due recognition is to be given to HACC program funding sources, therefore all HACC response service provider forms and information material given to people using the service and staff in relation to the HACC response service are to contain the following words:
The HACC response service is supported by funding from the Commonwealth Government and the Victorian Government under the HACC program.
Integration of Personal Alert Victoria and HACC response service
While Personal Alert Victoria and the HACC response service are closely linked, the funding sources and policy contexts differ. The HACC response service is required to follow HACC program policy including this manual. Also it operates in the context of the HACC service system and in the future may be expanded to include HACC service users who are not using PAV.
Since the HACC response service target group consists of people using Personal Alert Victoria, the ongoing consultative arrangements will be shared. The HACC program may also convene statewide meetings of the HACC response service providers and related stakeholders on an as required basis.
Need for the HACC response service will be assessed through the Personal Alert Victoria assessment process. Eligibility for Personal Alert Victoria can be reviewed using the Personal Alert Victoria review and reassessment process. If a person no longer receives a Personal Alert Victoria alarm unit they will also no longer receive the HACC response service.
There is a separate registration process, including a home visit, for the HACC response service. This occurs after an alarm unit has been allocated to the person.
HACC response service roles
Role of the department’s central office
The central office of the department is responsible for the statewide program, policy and service development in consultation with regions, PAV service provider, HACC response service providers and other stakeholders.
Role of the department’s regional offices
Regional office responsibility includes:
•liaison with service providers on service development and protocols
•service plans and service agreements with the HACC response service providers
•regional service development
•participation in the relevant Personal Alert Victoria/HACC response service consultative arrangements.
Role of HACC response service providers
Providers are responsible for:
•establishment and provision of the HACC response service, which will be used by PAV consumers, in accordance with Victorian HACC program policy including compliance with this manual and any subsequent amendments, and the PAV program and service guidelines
•collecting and submitting HACC MDS data to the department
•participation in data collection for service monitoring and other purposes
•participating in relevant PAV/HACC response service consultative arrangements
•participating in any review of the service conducted by the department
•entering into a service agreement with the department.
Emergency management
If an event occurs which means the HACC response service cannot attend people using PAV, the HACC response service should inform the PAV service provider so an alternative appropriate response can be arranged for example, emergency services.
Nominated contacts and HACC response service providers are not expected to respond to people in fire or code red fire risk locations. People living in these locations will be referred to emergency services.
Service provision by the PAV service provider and the HACC response service provider is expected to continue though extreme heat wave conditions. In fact evidence to date shows there is an increase in demand for these services during heatwave conditions. If, during heatwave conditions, an emergency service is called to a person using PAV, the emergency response time is dependent on overall demands on emergency services at the time.
The PAV service provider and the HACC response service providers are responsible for identifying their own organisation’s risk, and to plan and prepare for what they will do in an actual or potential emergency.
People using PAV will have varying levels of capacity to prepare personal plans to respond to emergency situations. The PAV service provider and the HACC response service providers are encouraged to assist people to be aware of the need to plan for emergency events and may refer people to the Country Fire Authority (CFA) or their local council for planning guidance.
The Vulnerable People in Emergencies Policy 2012 has been developed to improve the safety of vulnerable people in emergencies, by supporting emergency planning with and for vulnerable people. The policy uses the existing relationships of funded organisations with vulnerable people to support personal emergency planning and improve their safety and resilience.
For details see:
- section 4.18 ‘Vulnerable People in Emergencies Policy’ in the service agreement information kit
- HACC fact sheet – HACC funding to support vulnerable people in emergencies (Department of Health 2013).
HACC response service principles
That HACC response service providers:
•are person centred and flexible, maintain the confidentiality of information, ensure the right service is provided at the right time and are organised to provide a prompt response
•are organisationally capable of developing and providing the necessary services and supports to people in the target group
•develop services that can deliver targeted support to people in an efficient and effective manner and work in collaboration with existing local services and the PAV service provider
•establish and maintain management practices and appropriate technological capabilities and provide an experienced and skilled staff base
•achieve the maximum degree of coordination and not duplicate services
•plan at the systemic regional and at the individual level
•have the capacity to provide a response to the assistance requested
•advocate on behalf of people as required
•have management policies and practices to ensure appropriate recruitment, training and monitoring of staff
•have a demonstrated capacity to provide ongoing, secure, high quality, value for money services to people
•have a knowledge and understanding of the target group or relevant experience with other like target groups
•have the capacity for networking, and preparedness to work with other service providers and organisations to enable timely and appropriate responses to incidents experienced by people using PAV
•take a pro-active approach to improving service provision and appropriate flexibility to meet changing consumer, operational, departmental and local service system needs.
HACC Quality Framework
HACC response service providers must develop appropriate quality assurance practices, which incorporate the Community Care Common Standards Guide, the HACC Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and the HACC program Complaints Policy. The HACC response service will be included in community care common standards quality reviews.
HACC fees policy and care, active service model and diversity plans
The HACC fees policy not apply to the HACC response service for call outs (home visits) in response to use of the PAV personal alarm unit and other funded units as documented in this policy or in response to a missed daily call. No fee is charged to people for the HACC response service.
Any other ongoing HACC services provided by a HACC organisation to people who also receive the HACC response service will be subject to the HACC fees policy.
The HACC response service is not included in the HACC organisation’s active service model plan or diversity plan. A care plan is not prepared for people for the HACC response service however there must be a consent form, access profile and record keeping in accordance with these guidelines.
HACC response service coordination and community care worker pool
Each HACC response service must have a HACC response service coordinator who is responsible for the day to day planning and management of the service. This role may be combined with other roles in the funded organisation. It is not necessarily a full time role. It is essential that HACC response service coordinators spend time becoming familiar with these guidelines and the PAV guidelines, any procedures agreed with the PAV service provider, as well as other HACC policy including the HACC program complaints policy.
The HACC response service provider must organise and maintain a pool of qualified, paid, community care workers (who have the appropriate personal care and first aid competencies), who are either employed by the HACC response service provider or employed by a subcontracted organisation, and can make home visits over a 24 hour period, 365 days a year. The minimum qualifications for staff making home visits are those for personal care and the HACC Personal care policymust be adhered to. The community care worker is only to undertake a personal care role.
In rural areas it may be necessary to arrange for workers with qualifications that include personal care, such as a residential care worker, to be available to respond to an incident. It may also be appropriate, as part of a development process, to encourage unqualified but otherwise suitable workers to obtain the relevant personal care and first aid competencies in order to build up a pool of suitably qualified community care workers. However, only paid community care workers with the relevant personal care and first aid competencies can make home visits for the HACC response service.
The community care worker pool must be sufficient to enable multiple home visits to be made to different service users during the same time period.
The HACC response service or subcontracted organisation is required to have the capability to monitor and support community care workers making home visits and on call back up to support difficult situations in the homes of people using the HACC response service. Therefore the HACC response service provider or subcontracted organisations must provide the support of a supervisor (the coordinator or alternative) for community care workers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
All staff involved in the HACC response service, including subcontracted staff from other organisations, must be provided with written information about Personal Alert Victoria and the HACC response service before they undertake work.
It is the responsibility of the HACC response service provider to ensure each community care worker has a copy of this written information, which is to include:
•a copy of any PAV information given to people using the service
•a copy of any HACC response service information given to people using the service
•a copy of any PAV guidelines/policy documents
•a copy of the HACC response service guidelines
•a copy of the HACCPersonal care policy
•a copy of Department of Health advice about community care worker qualifications/competencies/training
•written information, including telephone numbers and contact names, about the PAV service provider
•written information about the HACC response service provider including name, address and telephone number of the organisation, name and telephone number of the HACC response service coordinator, and name and telephone number of the supervisor they are to contact, in any 24 hour period, if that person is not the HACC response service coordinator
•If the community care worker is engaged by a subcontracted organisation, the community care worker must be given the name, address and telephone number of that organisation and name of a contact person at that organisation.
Each community care worker must be shown the PAV alarm equipment and processes and understand how they operate. Community care workers should also have a meeting, one to one or in a group, with the HACC response service coordinator or a delegated person to have the opportunity to ask questions and have those questions answered.
Each community care worker making home visits must be provided with photo identification by the organisation that employs them which is either the HACC response service provider or the subcontracted organisation.
Keys to the dwelling of a person using the HACC response service must be kept in a key safe at the person’s property or dwelling. The community care worker making the home visit must be given the keysafe code number to open the key safe so that they can access the keys.
HACC response service target group
The target group for the HACC response service are people who have a PAV alarm who do not have sufficient relatives or others to be their contacts for Personal Alert Victoria. This includes:
•People who are on the waiting list for a PAV alarm unit who choose to pay a fee to receive an alarm unit while they are on the waiting list and who do not have sufficient contacts (see Short term personal alarm rental below).
•Veterans who have a PAV alarm and who do not have sufficient contacts are eligible for the HACC response service.
•Commonwealth Home Care Packages: Four levels of Home Care packages have replaced CACPs EACH and EACHD packages, i.e. Home Care Level 1, Home Care Level 2, Home Care Level 3 and Home Care Level 4. People who receive any of the four levels of Home Care Packages, who have a PAV alarm but do not have sufficient contacts, are eligible for the HACC Response Service.
If a PAV applicant has the dementia supplement, the assessor completing the initial PAV assessment will carefully consider whether they meet PAV Eligibility Criteria 2 Applicant must be capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.
If a PAV client has the dementia supplement the PAV service provider will be able to monitor that client’s ability to use the PAV service appropriately through their review process. A review of eligibility may be initiated by the PAV service provider based on the client’s daily monitoring and alarm usage patterns.
Use of the HACC response service may be ongoing or time limited.