Star ratings have “significant limitations”: ACCPA

The Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) has published its submission on the evaluation of the Star Ratings system, noting that consumers are not using Star Ratings to inform their aged care decisions, the purpose for which the system was intended, and that some subcategories are disadvantaging certain kinds of providers.

"We are pleased to see that there has been a 15% improvement in the number of aged care homes with 4 or 5 stars since Star Ratings were introduced in December 2022," the submission states.

"However the Star Ratings system in its current form has several significant limitations."

The peak body for aged care providers, which has 1,100 members, made nine recommendations:

1. The Department of Health and Aged Care reviews how Star Ratings data is presented on the My Aged Care website and makes changes to ensure it is more user friendly for older people.
2. That the Department updates the My Aged Care website to provide the contextual information needed to help consumers understand and interpret Star Ratings data.
3. That the Department updates the methodology used so that the ratings reflect an aged care home’s Staffing performance in the last quarter rather than their performance two quarters ago.
4. That the Department revaluates how the restrictive practices quality indicator to better reflect that there are some circumstances in which restrictive practices may be appropriate.
5. That polypharmacy should not inform the Quality Measures Star Rating.
6. That the Department refines residents experience data to ensure it does not impose an undue burden on residents and that Residents Experience Star Ratings are current, accurate and comparable.
7. That the Department updates the format of Residents’ Experience Star Ratings webpages to identify how many residents were surveyed at each aged care home to enable consumers to draw more meaningful conclusions.
8. That the Department undertakes a campaign to increase community awareness and understanding of the Star Ratings system.
9. That the Department undertakes an independent technical review of the Star Ratings system.

Allen and Clarke Consulting was awarded the $579,472 contract to conduct the 'Independent evaluation of Star Ratings for residential aged care' in February 2024. You can have your say in the evaluation here.

The Department of Health and Aged Care has also awarded consumer analysis firm Fiftyfive5 a $330,000 contract to conduct market research of the Aged Care Star Ratings system.

Earlier this year we reported there have been concerns in the sector the Star Ratings do not accurately reflect the quality of aged care homes.

A Star Rating system was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to help consumers make informed decisions about aged care.