From 1 April 2025, every quarter, aged care providers will have to collect data on 14 Quality Indicators (QIs) for every aged care resident, up from the 11 QIs reported currently.
The new QIs, announced today by Aged Care Minister Anika Wells, will be based on staffing - on Enrolled Nursing, allied health and lifestyle assistants. Providers will have to report the data by 21 July 2025.
Anika Wells
The new QIs have been introduced to address claims the numbers of Enrolled Nurses, allied health, and lifestyle coordinators employed in aged care have fallen since the introduction of 24/7 RNs and care minute targets. Aged care accountancy specialists StewartBrown had reported that data for the quarter to March 2024 showed a sharp decline in the number of allied health staff employed compared with the quarter to June 2023.
The Minister said: “The Albanese Government’s reforms are continuing to lift the standard of aged care. These new quality indicators recognise the value nurses, allied health and lifestyle officers bring to aged care residents."
In June 2024, boutique management consultants HealthConsult completed consultation on the three new QIs, including a pilot of 69 residential aged care providers over a six-week period. The findings of their pilot, conducted on behalf of the Department of Health and Aged Care (DOHAC), can be found here.
The United States model, which was cited during Australia's Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, has 16 quality indicators for long-stay nursing homes. The expansion of Australia's QI program, which commenced in 2019, was a recommendation of the Royal Commission.
HealthConsult has also been contracted to help the DOHAC expand the QI program to include home care. New QIs will apply to home care after 1 July 2026. The consultancy is currently running a 12-week pilot of the home care QIs, starting early October 2024.
