In response to questioning by Shadow Aged Care Minister Anne Ruston, the Australian Government's Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson told Senate Estimates in February that third-party contractors made 217 site audits of in the six months to 31 December 2023, compared with only 42 site audits conducted by the Commission itself.
However, the ACQSC conducted 1,700 site visits in that period.
During site audits, the assessor assesses the aged care home against the Aged Care Quality Standards for the purpose of accreditation or re-accreditation.
Three third-party firms conducted the site audits RSM, HDAA and KPMG.
"With so many third-party contractors being used to conduct site audits rather than the Commission itself, there is a worrying lack of confidence or consistency in how these audits are being conducted," Senator Ruston told The SOURCE.
"It is clear from the feedback we are receiving from aged care providers that there is serious concern regarding the approach taken by both the Commission and the Government to regulating the sector, especially in the midst of the current workforce crisis.
"The Commissioner must explain why they are relying so heavily on third-party contractors and why the Commission cannot conduct these audits itself."
The ACQSC began using third-party contractors in 2021 to address the backlog of audits that built up due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have reduced our use of third-party quality assessors across 2023-24 and we are actively increasing the proportion of quality assessors recruited directly to the Commission," Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, Janet Anderson, told The SOURCE.
"The Commission’s workforce planning for conducting future reaccreditation site audits is underway and will be informed by a number of variables, including an independent evaluation of the third-party program."
In February's Senate Estimates, Ms Anderson said the backlog was "finished".
