The Delivery of Health Services and Telehealth to Provide Aged Care During COVID-19 in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia

ObjectiveObjective: The aim of this project was to understand aged care service providers’ (ACSP) experiences of providing care during the COVID-19 travel restriction period.SettingSetting: Aged care facilities and community-based settings within the Kimberly region of Western Australia.ParticipantsParticipants: A total of 16 participants from 11 ACSPs took part in the project.DesignDesign: A convergent mixed-method design was employed for this project. A Project Advisory Committee (PAC) helped to inform the direction and robustness of this project. An online survey and semistructured interviews were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data.ResultsResults: The key themes that emerged from this project included ‘rapid changes to services,’ ‘importance of community’ and ‘long-term impact on the older people.’ These themes were impacted by barriers (access to services, resourcing, and equipment, staffing shortages and burnout, and government mandates, reporting and funding) and ameliorated by enablers (adapting existing services, supply of equipment and resources, staff training and support and changes to strategies and planning procedures).ConclusionConclusion: This project was informed by the PAC to ensure real-world implications were considered. In health emergencies, additional resources such as improved infrastructure and telehealth, providing cultural safety training, avoiding a ‘one fits all approach’ for ACSP, and funding for staff retention could be considered.