10 questions to ask about staffing in aged care homes

If you want to review the quality of an aged care home, it’s a good idea to call or visit and ask some questions about the care it offers. One area you may like to focus on is its staffing arrangements.

You can use a resource developed by the NSW Nursing and Midwifery Association, and other aged care experts, called  ’10 questions to ask about staffing in residential aged care’.

This resource is part of a wider series called 10 Questions to Ask. Each resource can help you ask the right questions when checking the quality of an aged care home.

What questions about staffing requirements could I ask?

You can ask the following questions about staffing arrangements:

• Is a registered nurse always on site?
• how many registered nurses are there on each shift? Including nights, weekends, and evenings?
• what is the nurse to resident ratio for each shift?
• is there a Director of Nursing?
• are medications administered by a registered nurse?
• are there any plans to change the staffing arrangements in future?
• do staff care for the same residents, so they get to know them?
• how will changes to my health be managed
• what minimum training do the Assistant in Nursing (AIN)/care works/care service employees have?
• what qualifications do staff possess?
• are there ongoing training programs for staff?

Where can I learn more?

Read the 10 Questions to Ask about Staffing in Residential Aged Care pamphlet to learn more.

You can also view the entire series at the 10 questions to ask website.

To learn more about the quality of an aged care home you can also:

• see its Compliance Rating in the Find a provider tool. This shows if the service is meeting its quality and safety requirements.
• Learn more about Quality Measures which help measure the quality of care in aged care homes.