The Public Health Unit developed FluCARE, a web-based application to assist in the management of acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) outbreaks in residential aged care facilities.

FluCARE was designed to support staff working in residential aged care facilities in the early detection, notification, and response to ARI outbreaks.

FluCARE has three core functions:

• Data entry: A line list for easy and accurate data entry that residential aged care facilities can update during an outbreak.
• Outbreak detection: Algorithms to identify potential outbreaks based on NSW Health case definitions and outbreak criteria.
• Outbreak notification: If an outbreak has been detected, an automatic notification is sent to residential aged-care facility managers, Public Health Unit staff, and other relevant stakeholders, including General Practitioners and aged care outreach teams.

FluCARE was developed in consultation with the District’s Aged Health, Chronic Care and Rehabilitation Team, aged-care facilities and the Ministry of Health. In September 2019, FluCARE was piloted in several residential aged-care facilities in the District. In early 2022, FluCARE was further rolled out to additional residential aged-care facilities in the District to enable the reporting of suspected ARI cases during the winter season. 

More than 50 residential aged care facilities in Sydney Local Health District are now registered with FluCARE.