On Christmas Eve, I visited my father in his aged care facility. After two years of pandemic-related restrictions I look forward to our infrequent encounters, but my ulterior motive for visiting that day was to administer his COVID-19 booster dose.  

The system that had imposed strict contact limits for two years had failed to provide what was arguably the most important part of his protective armour; timely vaccination according to the guidelines.  

This anecdote is representative of what has been allowed to happen in residential aged-care facilities across the country during the pandemic – lots of bureaucratic bluster, minimal consultation with important stakeholders and failure to deliver on the basics. 

Following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and its subsequent recommendations last year, it was good to see deep interest and concern for a section of the community traditionally regarded as ‘out of sight, out of mind’.