Aged Care Quality Standards

You have the right to quality aged care services in Australia, whether this is in a residential service or in your own home.

Hi, I’m Robyn, and I work as a quality assessor. I visit aged care services and talk to people using these services to see how things are going. There are people just like me working across the country. We work for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and it’s our job to make sure that your care is up to standard.

So, what does ‘up to standard’ mean?
Most of us recognise what quality care is and we want to make sure everyone gets care like this. There are eight Standards the government, services, and the community have all agreed to. Every aged care service has to show that it can meet these Standards.

One of these Standards is about dignity and choice. In practice, this means your aged care service knows you and supports you to live the life you choose. Your aged care service respects your identity, culture and the choices you make.

Other Standards refer to your personal and clinical care. We make sure the service is well run and that there are enough staff with the right skills to provide care that is safe and right for you.

We want to know that staff are kind, caring, and respectful. Do they follow up when you raise things with them?

We make sure your service works with you when planning your care and we look at your everyday needs to ensure that they're being met. When meals are provided, are they suitable for you? Does the menu change? Is there enough food and is it good quality?

We want to understand how well a service communicates with you including when something goes wrong. Are you told about the changes that affect you? For example, does someone let you know if you have a new cleaner, or they're coming at a new time?

Quality assessors like me are hard at work visiting services every day looking at how you are being cared for. If a service doesn’t meet any of the Standards, we identify areas needing improvement and we check these improvements have been made in the time set.

If something about your care doesn't feel right, we can help. If you can, speak to your service first to resolve your concern. You can also call us on 1800 951 822. You can also get help from advocates and interpreter services for free.

The Standards are there to support you. There's also a Charter of Aged Care Rights. You should receive information on your rights and be able to exercise your rights without feeling that it will affect the way you are treated.

More information is available online at www.agedcarequality.gov.au.

The Standards are about working together to make sure everybody gets quality care.