Questions about quality of aged care
Who assesses aged care homes?
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission assesses aged care homes. It assesses against the Aged Care Quality Standards.
How often are aged care homes assessed?
How often aged care homes are assessed depends on:
- the safety, health, well-being and quality of life of those receiving care
- the capacity and service history of the provider.
Will I be notified if my aged care home’s Compliance Rating changes?
No. However, if your aged care home receives a sanction, you will receive a letter explaining the issue(s) and what the sanction means.
You can check your aged care home’s Compliance Rating at any time on the My Aged Care website.
I have made a complaint to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission about an aged care home. Will this impact its Compliance Rating?
Complaints can inform the Commission’s compliance activities, such as quality assessments. Those compliance activities determine the Compliance Rating.
Why can't I see any Resident Experience Survey results for my aged care home?
There are three reasons why Resident Experience Survey results may not be available:
- The survey has not been completed because the aged care home is new or operating under new ownership
- It is a very small home and the results could not be published anonymously; in this case the results are still used to generate the Residents’ Experience Rating, or
- They have been unable to participate due to a serious and unavoidable event such as a health outbreak or weather incident.
Can I request to be involved in a Resident Experience Survey for my aged care home?
Yes, you can. Before quality assessors visit your aged care home you will receive a letter inviting you to participate in the survey. You will have the option to talk to the assessor in person or complete the survey online.
What does it mean if an aged care home has a non-compliance decision?
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will issue a non-compliance decision when an aged care home is not meeting regulations and standards. The non-compliance decisions reflect the nature and severity of the issue(s). A Notice of Requirement to Agree (NTA) and Notice of Decision to Impose Sanction are the most serious.
What does it mean if an aged care home has a 1-star Compliance Rating?
If an aged care home has a 1-star Compliance Rating, it means that there are immediate and severe issues at the home and that the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has issued the most serious non-compliance decision. This means conditions have been placed on the home until the issues are fixed.
What does it mean if an aged care home has a ‘Notice of Requirement to Agree’?
Where an aged care home’s non-compliance has resulted in the Commission considering revoking their approval to deliver aged care through a sanction, the Commission may – in certain circumstances – first issue the provider a Notice of Requirement to Agree (NTA). These circumstances include where:
- the aged care home has failed to give an undertaking to remedy their non-compliance
- the aged care home has failed to comply with an undertaking to remedy their non-compliance
- the aged care home has made submissions in response to a Notice to Remedy that are unsatisfactory, or
- the Commission is satisfied the provider’s non-compliance poses an immediate and severe risk to the safety, health and wellbeing of those receiving care.
What does it mean if an aged care home has a sanction?
If there is continued non-compliance or an immediate and severe risk to the safety, health or wellbeing of someone receiving aged care services, the Commission may place a sanction on the service provider. A sanction can also be placed on a service provider if it previously received a Notice to Remedy but has not fixed the problem by an agreed deadline.