News

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission new and updated resources.

Read more:

How we regulate aged care workers’ behaviour for your wellbeing and safety (.pdf)

Your voice in improving aged care fact sheet for aged care workers (.pdf)

How we handle complaints and concerns about conduct of aged care workers fact sheet (.pdf)

News about the reforms

Webinar: New regulatory model

Sector news

• Care Sector Demand Map
• Webinar: High risk weather season

Residential care

• Star Ratings update: Provider preview now available
• Care minutes and 24/7 registered nurse guides
• Quality indicator resource update

Workforce

• End-of-life care resources
• Webinar: Using writing to explore the challenges of ageing
• Forced Adoption: Practical Skills and Awareness

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update: 22 October 2024

From 1 April 2025, residential aged care providers will collect data on 3 new staffing quality indicators.

These make sure we measure the valuable input of:

• enrolled nurses,
• allied health professionals and
• lifestyle officers.

This change will increase the number of quality indicators for residential aged care providers from 11 to 14 under the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator (QI Program).

Quality indicators measure critical areas of care that affect the health and wellbeing of aged care residents. The 3 new measures recognise the crucial role staff have in providing high-quality care to older people in residential aged care homes.

Key dates

Residential aged care providers will:

• collect staffing data from 1 April 2025 (quarter 4, 2024–25)
• report quarter 4, 2024–25 staffing data through the Government Provider Management System (GPMS) by 21 July 2025.

We will publish more information and guidance to help you prepare for this change in coming months.

Read more:

New staffing quality indicators for residential aged care

QI Program quick reference guide – Enrolled nursing (.pdf)

QI Program quick reference guide – Lifestyle officer (.pdf)

QI Program quick reference guide – Allied health recommended services received (.pdf)

QI Program quick reference guide – Allied health care minutes (.pdf)

Fact sheet for board directors and senior executives – QI Program (.pdf)

Fact sheet for clinical care teams – QI Program (.pdf)

Fact sheet for older people and their families – QI Program (.pdf)

News about the reforms

• Aged Care Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
• Public consultation on Aged Care Rules continues
• New regulatory model nominated contacts

Sector news

• Aged Care Financial Reports due soon
• Sector Performance Report

Residential care

• 3 new staffing quality indicators
• Quality indicator reporting due
• Fact sheet: Care time reporting assessments

In-home care

• Regional Assessment Service organisations map

Workforce

• Webinar Series: Cultural diversity in ageing
• Free business and workforce advice
• National Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update: 15 October 2024

Quotes attributable to Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells:

“The Albanese Government’s reforms are continuing to lift the standard of aged care. These new quality indicators recognise the value nurses, allied health and lifestyle officers bring to aged care residents.”

“While it’s great to see improvements across the sector, our work continues to lift the quality of residential aged care in Australia. The new staffing quality indicators put the focus on key roles that support health and wellbeing.”

“We are determined to ensure older people have high-quality care that safeguards their health and wellbeing as they age. Quality indicators are one important way we achieve this.”

Read more:

New aged care staffing quality indicators to improve health and wellbeing

The Australian Government introduced the Aged Care Bill 2024 (Bill) to Parliament on 12 September 2024.

The Bill brings together work on the new Support at Home program, recommendations of the Aged Care Taskforce (Taskforce) and responds to around 60 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (Royal Commission).

The Bill replaces the Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth) (1997 Act) and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 (Cth), and brings together the funding and regulatory arrangements for multiple existing and new aged care programs including:

• residential care,
• the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP),
• the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC Program),
• the Multi-purpose Services (MPS) Program,
• the Transition Care Program (TCP), and
• the new Support at Home program.

As the Rules contain operational detail, drafting will take time, and stakeholders will also need time to consider them before they are finalised.

While it is difficult to commit to providing a defined set of Rules by a given time due to the complexity that can arise during drafting, the Department of Health and Aged Care (department) has released the Service List and we are prioritising the development of Rules for Chapter 4 relating to aged care funding arrangements.

Our intention is to have as many Rules as possible for Chapter 4 ready to support this Committee inquiry process, with a view to providing key aspects of them in October

Read more:

New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 1 – Service list (.pdf)

Overview of the New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 2 – Funding of aged care services (Chapter 4) (.pdf)

New regulatory model for aged care – Unpacking the new model for providers (.pdf)

Aged Care Bill 2024

About the Aged Care Bill 2024 fact sheet – Easy Read (.pdf)

About the Aged Care Bill 2024 plain language fact sheet (.pdf)

Support at Home program

New Aged Care Act Q&A session

The new Aged Care Act will put the rights and needs of older people at the centre of aged care.

It will change the way aged care services are delivered to older people in their homes, in the community and in aged care homes.

Public consultation is now open on the draft Act and we want to hear your views.

To get involved in the consultation, read one or more of these supporting materials:

• plain English consultation paper summary
• full consultation paper
• draft law

You can also watch the recordings of our recent webinars about the draft Act:

• 18 January 2024 – a Q&A session with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner
• 14 December 2023 – information about the draft law

You can then provide your feedback on the draft Act by:

• attending an in-person workshop near you
• completing a short survey online or over the phone on 1800 318 209
• sending us an email or letter

Find out more about the new Aged Care Act consultation.

Public consultation closes on Friday 16 February 2024

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission new and updated resources.

Read more:

Top tips for service providers: Managing complaints fact sheet (.pdf)

News about the reforms

• Aged Care Act consultation open
• Finance and operations information preview
• Feedback from Aged Care Regulatory Model consultation
• New Quality Indicators for home care

Sector news

• New members for the National Aged Care Advisory Council
• Volunteering in aged care information and resources
• Support at Home program – seeking feedback from aged care assessors

Residential care

• Reminder: Quality Indicator reporting closes 21 January 2024
• Trainer Mentor Program for kitchen teams applications closing soon

In-home care

• Additional funding for CHSP ad hoc grant opportunity
• Support at Home: Expression of interest for online workshops

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update: Issue 01

The Albanese Government is pleased to announce the new membership of the National Aged Care Advisory Council.

The Council was established in response to recommendation 7 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. It provides expert advice to government on key matters relating to the aged care sector.

Nine members return to the Council and nine new members have been appointed, commencing in January 2024.

Read more:

New members for the National Aged Care Advisory Council