In aged care, your rights are protected by the Charter of Aged Care Rights. Alongside the Charter is a new government initiative called the Serious Incident Response Scheme or SIRS. SIRS requires your home to take steps to keep you safe from harm.
A fact sheet for aged care residents, their families and representatives on your rights relating to COVID-19 restrictions in residential aged care.
To keep you safe, the government has introduced the Serious Incident Response Scheme or SIRS. SIRS will reduce the risk of harm to people in residential aged care homes.
What is the SIRS? consumer A3 poster (December 2022) (PDF 543.44 KB)
What is the SIRS? consumer summary (December 2022) (PDF 1.02 MB)
RB 2021-13 From 1 July 2021, approved providers have updated and specific responsibilities under the Aged Care Act 1997 (the Aged Care Act) and the Quality of Care Principles 2014 (the Principles) relating to the use of any restrictive practice in residential aged care and short-term restorative care in a residential care setting.
The Aged Care Quality Standards app supports you access the Quality Standards from your mobile device. It's free to download.
RB 2021-12 This Regulatory Bulletin outlines how an approved provider can apply for reconsideration of a reviewable decision under Part 8B of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 and Part 7 of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Rules 2018.
In this short video, we provide an overview of the benefits of effective incident management in residential aged care settings under the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS), which commenced on 1 April 2021.
The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) launched on 1 April 2021. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is helping the aged care sector to prepare for the introduction of the scheme with information and resources and is hosting a series of webinars about the scheme. This fifth webinar discussed quality aged care and the SIRS.
In this short video, we discuss incident management in residential aged care settings under the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) which commenced on 1 April 2021.
In this short video, we discuss reporting incidents under the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) which commenced on 1 April 2021.
In this short video, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson provides an overview for approved residential aged care providers of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) which commenced on 1 April 2021.
This fact sheet provides information about the revised incident management obligations within Standard 8 for home services providing aged care.
Home services: Incident management systems fact sheet (PDF) (PDF 405.53 KB)
The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) launched on 1 April 2021. The Commission is helping the aged care sector to prepare for the introduction of the scheme with information and resources and is hosting a series of webinars about the scheme. This fourth webinar discussed the role of the Commission under the SIRS.
Serious Incident Response Scheme - Residential aged care provider readiness checklist
Residential aged care providers are encouraged to work through the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) readiness checklist.
SIRS Readiness checklist (PDF 256.8 KB)
The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) launched on 1 April 2021. The Commission is helping the aged care sector to prepare for the introduction of the scheme with information and resources and is hosting a series of webinars about the scheme. This third webinar discussed reporting incidents to the Commission under the SIRS.
This booklet aims to give guidance on how to:
- create an effective, resolution focused complaints system in aged care services and how to enhance existing processes
- maintain compliance with Standard 6
- encourage a positive, blame-free culture around complaints handling in aged care services by fostering an understanding of the complaints process and how it affects the people involved, and setting out the essential elements for the effective management of complaints within a service including skills, procedures and policies.
The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is a new initiative to help prevent and reduce the risk of incidents of abuse and neglect in residential aged care services subsidised by the Australian Government. The SIRS requires residential services to have an effective incident management system or IMS.
An IMS is key to a provider’s ability to effectively identify, respond to, and mitigate the impact of an incident, and enables providers to analyse and identify risks and trends to inform preventative measures.
This fact sheet describes how incidents should be recorded in your IMS to meet your obligations under SIRS and provide safe care to your residents.
Recording incidents in an incident management system (PDF 281.12 KB)
Children and their elderly relatives can still connect during COVID-19. Regular phone and video calls will help to maintain their connection as well as help prevent loneliness in aged care
residents due to the COVID-19 isolation.
This poster outlines the 6 essential elements of effective incident management systems.
This resource is not available to order.
The Commission has produced a glossary of common terms to aid understanding of the aged care services sector. The list is not intended to be exhaustive and is provided as general information only.
A web version of the glossary is also available.
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Glossary – July 2023 (DOCX 141.01 KB)
