Aged care and COVID-19: a special report

The report resulted from a hearing of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety into the impact of COVID-19 on aged care, which was held in Sydney from 10 to 13 August 2020.

When the Royal Commission was established in 2018, nobody could have foreseen that the aged care sector would be in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic as the Royal Commissioners approached the end of their work. The Royal Commissioners responded with the release of this report in advance of their Final Report.

When the Royal Commissioners announced their COVID-19 inquiry in May 2020, there were outbreaks in three aged care facilities in Sydney. By the time the hearing began in August 2020, a major outbreak in aged care facilities in Melbourne was under way.

The report makes six recommendations.