Policies and Reports
New Zealand Aotearoa Aged Residential Care Pandemic Response Policy
In December 2020, New Zealand’s Ministry of Health published the New Zealand Aotearoa Aged Residential Care Pandemic Response Policy online, – a nationally consistent guidance for aged residential care stakeholders to prepare for, prevent and respond to any epidemic or pandemic. The Policy is part of the Ministry’s work to deliver the action plan for the recommendations of the independent review of COVID-19 clusters in ARC facilities. It can be tailored to local environments as required and provides a framework that should be followed. https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/new-zealand-aotearoa-pandemic-response-policy-aged-residential-care
The 2nd Interim Evaluation Report on the Health Care Homes program has been published. You can access the report on the Health Care Homes Evaluation website. The Department of Health has contracted Health Policy Analysis to undertake the evaluation who are working with the University of NSW and the University of Technology.
The Asia Pacific Consortium on Osteoporosis (APCO) has launched the first pan-Asia Pacific clinical practice standards for the screening, diagnosis, and management of osteoporosis. Published in Osteoporosis International, ‘The APCO Framework’ comprises 16 minimum clinical standards that will serve as a benchmark for the provision of optimal osteoporosis care in the region. The APCO Framework is set to achieve greater consistency in clinical practice guidelines across Asia Pacific, for more information visit www.apcobonehealth.org.
The British Geriatrics Society launched the Silver Book II on Monday 22 February at 9am (UK time). The Silver Book II, written by leading international experts in frailty, addresses a wide range of urgent care issues specific to older people. Aimed at clinicians and other healthcare professionals working in emergency departments and urgent care, this updated resource is presented in a highly accessible digital format and is free of charge. It follows the first edition of the Silver Book which was published in 2012 and has been downloaded over 200,000 times.
The focus of the Silver Book II is on care for older people over the first 72 hours of an urgent care episode, with the specific remit to:
- Help decrease variation in practice
- Influence the development of appropriate services across urgent care systems
- Identify and disseminate best practice
- Influence policy development
