Star Ratings for aged care are officially available to the public, though providers and the Opposition have expressed concerns that the data used to calculate them may be outdated.
According to the public figures, which went live on My Aged Care this week following the release of the preliminary figures to providers this month, only 1% of homes received a one-star rating, meaning “significant improvement needed”; 8% received two stars, for “improvement needed”; 54% received an “acceptable” three stars; 36% a “good” four stars; and 1% an “excellent” five stars.
“Star Ratings make choosing a residential aged care home simple and transparent. You can drill down to what’s important to you, be that the food or specific quality indicators,” said Aged Care Minister Anika Wells (pictured).
“Star Ratings is a significant milestone in the delivery of aged care reforms, achieved through collaboration with older Australians, aged care providers and sector experts.
“Star Ratings will enhance accountability, transparency and capability within the residential aged care sector.”
However, as reported by the ABC, Shadow Aged Care Minister Anne Ruston (pictured) said providers had told her the information on the site was out of date.
“It is really quite distressing that the department would provide this out-of-date information that misleads older Australians and their families, particularly leading into Christmas.
“I would say to the department it should remove or pull down these ratings until it can be absolutely sure and guarantee Australians that the information contained in those ratings is accurate and up to date,” she said.
Speaking to Sunrise, Minister Wells said the information was “good, accurate, and timely”.
“Some of this data updates overnight, and the rest of the data, more than 60%, comes from independent sources like the Commission, that’s the regulator.
“We’ve interviewed residents and asked them how they thought the experience of their nursing homes, how they find the food – and it’s that information that is now available on My Aged Care for people to see,” she said.
The sector has long expressed concerns that Star Ratings could be damaging for aged care, and that the information may not be accurate.
