Approved providers have legal responsibilities to employ skilled staff and deliver safe and effective care and services.
Providers need to have enough skilled staff to meet the general and clinical care needs of people they provide care to. Clinical care includes care by nurses and other health professionals.
The Australian Government introduced mandatory workforce-related responsibilities for residential aged care providers in 2023. You can read more about these on our 24/7 registered nurse cover and care minutes page.
Care needs
Providers need to have staff with the right skills to deliver safe and effective personal and clinical care.
Providers need to make sure that all nursing services are carried out by:
- a nurse practitioner
- a registered nurse
- an enrolled nurse
- a health professional working within their scope of practice. Scope of practice means that they’re doing activities that their profession allows them to do.
Care should be delivered in a way that meets the needs, goals and preferences of the person receiving care.
Staff support
Providers need to make sure that their staff have the right qualifications, skills and experience to provide the care and services people need.
They also need to:
- train and support their staff to develop their skills and ability to provide this care and service
- support their staff and make sure they have all the equipment they need to do their jobs.
Governance
Approved providers must have effective clinical and workforce governance. Providers need to show that they have:
- organisation-wide workforce governance systems – including clear responsibilities for staff and management
- a clinical governance framework for clinical care – including reducing the use of restraint and using open disclosure with older people.
More information
- Workforce-related responsibilities Regulatory Bulletin explains the 24/7 RN and care minutes responsibilities, legislation and how the Commission regulates these responsibilities.
