Since 1 July 2019, residential aged care providers have had specific responsibilities in the Quality of Care Principles 2014 relating to the use of physical and chemical restraint. These requirements put explicit obligations on the use of restraint by residential aged care providers.

The Australian Government has announced further strengthening of the regulation of chemical restraints in residential aged care.

The Government’s legislation now:

• makes it clear restraint must only be used as a last resort
• refers to state and territory legislation which regulates the responsibility of prescribers to gain informed consent for chemical restraint
• requires a review of the first 12 months of the operation of the restraint regulations to ensure aged care facilities are minimising the use of inappropriate restraint.

Read more:

Minimising physical and chemical restraint in residential aged care

Quality of Care Principles 2014

Quality of Care Amendment (Reviewing Restraints Principles) Principles 2019

Self-assessment tool for recording consumers receiving psychotropic medications (.docx)

Scenarios involving physical and/or chemical restraint (.pdf)

Regulatory Bulletin 2019-8.0 – Regulation of physical and chemical restraint (.pdf)