Providers must have a written plan for continuous improvement (PCI). This requirement is stated under section 62 of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Rules 2018. The PCI needs to explain how providers will:
- assess
- monitor, and
- improve their care and services, measured against the Aged Care Quality Standards.
If we request a PCI, providers must supply it. They must also revise it if they’re non-compliant with the Quality Standards.
Continuous improvement is a systematic, ongoing effort to improve care and services. It:
- considers the needs of people receiving aged care and may involve them in improvement activities
- is part of a quality system that assesses how well a provider’s systems are working and the standard of care and services achieved
- focuses on outputs and outcomes.
To be effective, continuous improvement must be:
- a provider’s central focus
- understood at all levels
- accepted by all management and staff.
To help create your plan, download our PCI template in Word format (221KB).
Key elements
The below points are essential to continuous improvement:
- person-centred focus
- innovation
- involvement and accountability of key stakeholders:
- people receiving aged care, their representatives and carers
- staff and volunteers
- committee and board members
- advocates
- achievement through planned steps, and
- regular monitoring and evaluation of progress.
Benefits
Aside from regulatory obligations, continuous improvement has the following benefits:
- opportunity to identify changes needed in care and service
- improved care and services for people receiving aged care
- improved stakeholder input and ownership
- enhanced systems to monitor and track changes, and
- sustainable results.
Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle
The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is a continuous improvement model.
It consists of 4 phases.
1. Plan the improvement
This phase involves:
- analysing the current situation
- researching different ways to make improvements
- seeking input and feedback from stakeholders, and
- identifying actions to implement the plan.
2. Do the improvement
This phase involves:
- testing the options to find the preferred improvement
- involving the stakeholders who will directly benefit from the outcome
- keeping other stakeholders informed
- allocating resources to make sure the improvement is a success, and
- documenting the decisions made.
3. Check the improvement
This phase involves:
- checking if the improvement is delivering as intended
- assessing whether changes are needed or if a different option should be tried
- measuring the improvement (with audits, assessments and surveys), and
- documenting the evaluation methods and results.
Take your time with this phase. Gradual steps may deliver better results.
4. Act to standardise the process
There are two possible situations in this phase.
If the improvement isn’t successful:
- analyse what can be done differently next time, and
- go through the cycle again with a different plan.
If successful, make sure that:
- all stakeholders are informed of the new process
- all necessary staff are trained
- policies and procedures are implemented, and
- change within the organisation is managed.
Keep track of your improvements
This shows the progress of your improvement initiatives. You can review, plan and identify what worked and what didn’t.
Review and update your PCI today. Keep it current to show what you want to achieve today, tomorrow and in the future.
