What is Aged Care Quality Standards?

The seven standards

1. The individual
2. The organisation
3. The care and services
4. The environment
5. Clinical care
6. Food and nutrition
7. The residential community

Each standard has an intent, an expectation statement describing what the older person can expect, outcomes that providers are assessed against, and actions describing what providers can do to meet each outcome. The government will review the standards every five years.

What changed from the previous standards

The strengthened standards were streamlined from eight standards to seven and are more detailed and measurable than the ones they replaced. They respond to areas the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety found could be improved, including dementia care, supporting diversity, provider governance, food and nutrition, and clinical care.

Language also changed with the new Act: providers are registered providers, and the standards speak of the older person or the individual rather than the consumer.

Who is audited against them

Under the new regulatory model, providers register in one or more of six categories. Providers in categories 4 to 6 must meet the Quality Standards relevant to the services they deliver:

• Category 4: personal and care support in the home or community, which includes care management, personal care, allied health and respite
• Category 5: nursing and transition care
• Category 6: residential care

The Commission audits against the standards when a provider first registers in these categories, renews its registration, or varies its registration to add one of them.

Audit ratings

The Commission rates each outcome as conformance, minor non-conformance or major non-conformance, and the rating for each standard is based on its outcome ratings. Providers renewing registration in category 6 can also receive an exceeding rating if they conform with every standard and outcome and meet extra criteria. Audit results are published.

How Rostery helps

Rostery keeps audit-ready records for home care providers: SIRS incidents with deadlines, worker screening and qualification expiry, care management minutes and progress notes against each service.