Nationwide pilot to trial new quality indicators in aged care

Aged-care providers throughout Australia will have the opportunity to volunteer to be involved in a nationwide aged-care quality indicators pilot trial, set to commence in January 2022.

A national consortium including SAHMRI’s Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA), the University of Queensland and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is set to launch the trial as part of the Australian Government’s response to the final recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

The partnership is currently undertaking an extensive evidence review ahead of the trial. ROSA’s Associate Professor, Gill Caughey, said the six week-long pilot will support expansion of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) to include additional quality of care measures and a quality of life tool for those living in residential aged care.

“The trial will provide a comprehensive overview of the quality and safety of care being delivered in aged care and will also include the development of quality indicators for in-home care providers,” A/Prof Caughey said. The evidence review, consultation and trial process are being funded and overseen by the Department of Health.

The work intends to build on the existing QI Program to form a comprehensive evidence-based outcome monitoring system for aged care throughout the country.

The system will include consumer experience or quality of life measures to ensure the opinions of those in care are being heard. “This is a major step forward that’s indicative of the collective recognition that older people in our society need and deserve a higher standard of care and quality of life,” A/Prof Caughey said.

Following the completion of the trial, the consortium will review the results and produce findings to help inform government decisions about inclusion of the new quality indicators as part of the QI Program, which will see the measures rolled out to all of the country’s residential aged-care services and in-home care providers.

“A successful outcome monitoring system for aged care in Australia, with a strong focus on quality improvement to facilitate the provision of the highest standards of care, to guide overall improvement across the sector through high-quality evidence and data, will result in an aged-care system we can all be proud of,” A/Prof Caughey said.

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