Accreditation in aged care has entered a new era.

In 1999, all aged care facilities were assessed using the then new Accreditation Standards.  It was a steep learning curve for everyone in the sector.  These standards remained in place until 30 June 2019.

At that stage and until recent times, there was not as much interaction in talking about Aged Care and how it impacted on the residents/their family/relatives. This was for many reasons which can may be elaborated on at a later time.

On 1 July 2019 the Aged Care Quality Standards were introduced. These consist of 8 standards which include 42 requirements.

The aged care sector is again undergoing a steep learning curve with the change. Although this has been in place for some time now, changes within the sector occur nearly weekly.

It is vital for approved providers and key personnel in the sector ensure they are subscribed to a number of sites to receive information on updates. However, it is also recommended that approved providers and key personnel visit some sites at least weekly to review any updates. They may have missed an email or misread the information. If the sites are checked at least weekly, the chances of missing out on important information will be reduced..

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission provides some links to check regularly. They publish a Regulatory bulletin when there are significant changes to regulatory requirements for aged care facilities throughout Australia.

This site, in their words “is a targeted communication to assist services in understanding how specific requirements and processes fit into the overarching aged care regulatory framework. It articulates expectations and underlying reasons for the Commission’s approach.”

Aged Care Quality Bulletin is also published by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. This is not the same as the Regulatory Bulletin. Again, using their words, “This site is the Commission’s monthly newsletter for Australian aged care providers, sharing the latest information to support our vision of a world-class aged care service.”

To assist facility owners/approved providers and facility managers to remain up to date, on their website the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have a “Resources” tab.  If this is checked each Tuesday and Friday, facility owners/approved providers and facility managers will have the most up to date information from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

There is an option to obtain subscribe to the Quality Bulletins, Monthly Financial and Prudential Regulatory Insights. However, there is no option to subscribe to the Regulatory Bulletins from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and it is important to check these at least weekly if possible.  Facility managers and/or approved providers should receive emails from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission when a new Regulatory Bulletin is published.

It is also possible to subscribe to the aged care sector newsletters and alerts from the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Commission Act and Rules This site contains information for aged care providers resulting from the introduction of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Rules 2018