Commissioner’s message
What a year 2024 has been for the aged care sector. With the passage of the Aged Care Act through parliament last month, everyone is now rightly focused on getting ready for the Act’s commencement on 1 July 2025.
The Commission’s priorities are two-fold – ensuring that we can fulfil our legislative responsibilities from Day One and working equally hard to prepare the sector for the new arrangements.
We are working on a comprehensive program to support older people, providers and workers to learn about and get ready for the changes that the new legislation will bring.
I encourage all providers to familiarise themselves with the information already published in a new section of our website called Changing aged care for the better, and to regularly check back as we will be adding more resources over coming months. In January we will publish a guide to the support materials that we plan to release, and when. This will help you, your services and staff to identify whether there are specific actions you can or should take to operate confidently under the new Act.
Just after the new Act commences, we will also be holding our National Aged Care Providers Conference 2025 to discuss how the sector is implementing the changes and any issues we see arising. The conference will be on Monday 28 to Wednesday 30 July at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Information about registration will be provided in the New Year.
Given the heat we have already experienced this season, I want to draw your attention to our latest clinical alert about preparing for summer and preventing heat-related illness. Clinical signs of heat-related illness include confusion and clinical deterioration. This can quickly lead to serious illness and even death if not recognised early and responded to as a priority. The Department of Health and Aged Care also has resources on providing continuity of care when preparing for emergencies.
Lastly, many of you would have seen the Minister’s announcement on 13 December regarding the appointment of a new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner. Ms Liz Hefren-Webb will commence in this role on 20 January 2025.
Leaving the Commission will be hard for me, but I am buoyed by all that has been achieved since we started 6 years ago, and the further opportunities that will open up for all stakeholders under the new Act. I am also reassured by the knowledge that so many providers and workers share the Commission’s ambition for a high-performing aged care sector; a sector that puts the older person first in all that it does, and works hard every day to deliver the best possible aged care experience for each individual. Please keep your eyes on that prize, and go well.
Aged care reform update
Last day to take part in the latest Aged Care Reforms Sector Pulse Survey
The Aged Care Reforms Sector Pulse Survey is an opportunity for you to give feedback on aged care reforms.
The Department of Health and Aged Care (department) wants to hear from people who deliver aged care services, including providers, managers and workers.
This survey is run regularly to find out more about:
- demographics
- experience with changes to aged care
- how prepared you feel
- how the department can support you, with things like local engagement
- areas of concern or interest.
You can take the online survey now. It only takes 15 minutes to complete.
The survey closes today, 20 December 2024.
All responses are anonymous, but you can ask to be contacted by the department if you would like to join a focus group.
Next stage of preparing for registration under the new Act
The deeming validation process is now closing. Thank you to everyone who completed the surveys.
The information you provided to the Department of Health and Aged Care (department) will help all government-funded providers transition to their registration categories under the new Regulatory Model.
If you weren’t able to take part, there is still an opportunity to complete the surveys. The department will work with you over the coming months as the transition process continues, including understanding your registration categories.
You will be able to review your registration details and registration categories in April 2025 as part of the provider preview process. Further details will be available soon.
Find out more about deeming on the department’s website.
If you have any questions, email AgedCareRegModel@health.gov.au.
Strengthened Quality Standards training presentation
To help you get your workforce ready for the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (which will apply to providers registered in categories 4, 5 and 6), we’ve created a customisable slide show presentation to use when delivering training.
The training presentation includes;
- an overview of each strengthened Quality Standard
- examples of how you apply them in practice
- reflective questions for you and your workers to consider when applying the Standards
- a script for facilitators
- links to other helpful resources.
You can download the slides from our website and customise them with your organisation’s name and logo. You can tailor the content to suit your service type and focus on the obligations relevant to your organisation.
Workers can also prepare for the strengthened Quality Standards by completing the online learning modules available on Alis. The interactive modules introduce the strengthened Quality Standards, exploring the outcomes and key topics in each Standard.
For more information on the strengthened Quality Standards and how they apply to your service, go to the guidance resources on our website.
Latest reports suggest ways providers can get their Annual Prudential Compliance Statements in on time
We have published 3 new Insights Reports on some of our recent targeted reviews.
Targeted reviews focus on specific issues or groups of providers. They help us assess the sector’s understanding of their financial and prudential obligations. Targeted reviews also give us an opportunity to raise awareness about governance responsibilities and identify areas where providers can improve. When we identify non-compliance, we work with you to address issues and strengthen practices.
The reviews cover:
- why providers submit Annual Prudential Compliance Statements (APCS) late and the practical steps you can take to help you get them in on time
- how providers can use refundable deposits during the first year of operation
- what causes delays in refunding refundable deposits and how you can tighten processes to avoid issues.
We encourage you to read our Insights Reports and reflect on whether your practices follow our findings. Each report:
- shares findings from our reviews
- highlights common challenges
- includes practical questions for you to consider.
By addressing these questions, you can strengthen your governance practices and improve outcomes for older people and their families and carers.
You can review resources on our website or email us at F&P.reviews&audits@agedcarequality.gov.au with any questions.
My Aged Care support plans available in My Health Record
You can now make My Aged Care support plans, developed or updated from 9 December 2024, available in My Health Record. Integrating My Aged Care with My Health Record is the key connection between the aged care and health care systems.
During aged care assessments, assessors will ask older people if they agree to sharing their support plan with My Health Record. Older people can give or withdraw their authorisation at any time.
The support plan sets out the care and services that will best help the older person. It shows what aged care services they qualify for based on their needs and abilities.
Access to support plans will give health professionals a better understanding of their patients’ needs and help them make quicker and more informed treatment decisions.
Visit My Aged Care for more information.
Increasing the maximum accommodation price to $750,000
From 1 January 2025, the government will increase from $550,000 to $750,000 the maximum accommodation price that can be charged for a room without needing special approval. The government will index this new threshold each year to the consumer price index from 1 July 2025.
This change is due to the rise in accommodation costs over the past 10 years. The increase aims to:
- reduce administrative loads for providers
- support confidence in upgrading or building high-quality accommodation
- improve the financial viability of new developments.
This will not affect current residents and there will still be a range of affordable accommodation options available.
As required under current legislation, before an accommodation price is agreed with an older person, providers must make sure that the agreed price is no more than the maximum amount published for that room:
- on their website
- on the My Aged Care website
- in the information providers give to older people.
Providers who want to charge above the maximum accommodation price will need to get approval from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA). From 1 January 2025, providers will need approval for prices above $750,000. Charging above this rate without approval is against the law.
Read more about managing fees and accommodation costs for residential aged care on the IHACPA and department websites.
Enforceable undertakings regulatory bulletin
We recently published a new Regulatory Bulletin on enforceable undertakings. The bulletin explains how a provider or person working in aged care can commit to an enforceable undertaking to show they are working to fix an issue and improve their service.
An enforceable undertaking is a written agreement between the Commission and a provider or person working in aged care. It explains the actions the provider or person will take to address risk and non-compliance issues.
Enforceable undertakings mean you can:
- be transparent with older people and the community when things go wrong
- show that you are committed to continuous improvement
- fix risk and non-compliance issues through targeted prevention and remedies based on outcomes.
We monitor the provider or person to make sure they are meeting the terms of their enforceable undertaking. Agreements are legally binding and we can apply to a court to enforce the undertaking if needed.
We publish enforceable undertakings in full on our website.
We encourage you to read the Regulatory Bulletin, along with our Compliance and Enforcement Policy and Regulatory Strategy, to understand the role of enforceable undertakings in managing non-compliance.
Food, nutrition and dining
Resident feedback on their mealtime experiences: a call to listen and act
To provide person-centred care, you need to create mealtimes that are safe, supportive and enjoyable for residents.
Everyone has their own mealtime needs and preferences and these can change. You can use our food and dining preferences sheet to record a resident’s preferences, and this should be displayed where carers can see it, and updated regularly.
Ask for regular feedback from residents. You can do this through things like surveys and regular meetings. Have clear follow-up about what you’ll do to fix any issues that come out of the feedback. This empowers residents and gives you valuable information about how you can improve the care and services you deliver, including mealtimes. If you don’t take any action to respond to feedback or complaints, and don’t improve, residents and their families can become unhappy and lose their trust in the service. This might be reflected in a rising risk profile at the service which would attract the Commission’s attention.
You can also ask for feedback through casual conversations. Encourage staff to talk with residents during mealtimes and ask residents to share their feedback with staff. This can encourage positive relationships between residents and staff.
We have some examples to share from our targeted monitoring visits that focus on food, nutrition and dining. These examples show how services have created exciting initiatives and meaningful dining experiences when they have listened to residents and acted on their feedback.
‘Residents wanted more variety in our menu but they were finding it hard to tell us exactly what they wanted. We decided to hold a monthly banquet so they could try a range of dishes each month and tell us, there and then, what they liked and why.’ (Hospitality Services Manager, Victoria)
‘We have a few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents here and I think they were missing food from home. We asked them to find us some recipes. We’ve had roo tail and crocodile on the menu so far – and there will be kangaroo skewers next week!’ (Clinical Care Co-ordinator, Western Australia)
You can read more examples in our full article.
Webinars
Catch up on our 2024 webinar program
Our program of monthly webinars has now wrapped up for the year. We covered a wide range of topics to support the sector to meet changing obligations and encourage providers to keep improving. You can catch up on any of the 2024 webinars that you missed with recordings on our website and YouTube channel.
We will be running a full webinar program again next year, so keep an eye on our webinar page for the 2025 program.
Training and resources
Online workshops for approved providers
We have now run our final online workshop for the year but our 2025 schedule will be available soon on our workshops page.
Each month, we deliver workshops for people working in the aged care sector. These workshops offer practical tips to support learners to understand how to meet their obligations within their service.
Our workshops are delivered by experienced Commission facilitators, with subject matter experts from our regulatory teams on hand to answer your questions.
Want access to free aged care education?
Aged Care Learning Information Solution (Alis) is the Commission’s home for online learning for Australian aged care providers and their workers. With courses, online modules and workshops covering a wide range of topics including the Strengthened Quality Standards, Serious Incident Response Scheme and Code of Conduct for Aged Care, Alis can help you level up your learning and development. Whether you have 15 minutes or 2 hours spare to learn, on Alis you will find a range of education topics to help you increase your knowledge to provide safe, high-quality care.
All approved providers and their workers can register and learn online for free, at their own pace, when it suits them.
Get started and sign up for your Alis account today.
Governing for reform
Learn how to be effective in your provider governance
Good governance is essential to support your workforce and systems of care that make sure older people are safe and being well looked after. The Governing for Reform Program has a range of products to support providers with effective governance. A key part of the program for governing bodies is our online learning module Effective Governance.
We also offer the For The Board Kit: Governing Inclusively to help governing body members fine tune their aged care governance.
New resources
- Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards - provider training presentation
- Regulatory Bulletin RB 2024-26 Enforceable undertakings
We wish you a safe and happy festive season. We look forward to continuing our work together in 2025 to ensure that every older person receiving aged care is treated with respect, dignity and kindness, and is supported to enjoy the best possible quality of life.
