Ensuring that residents of aged care services have a good quality of life and receive good quality care is a priority for the Department of Health and Ageing  and for the sector, and is central to the wellbeing of residents themselves. Accreditation plays an important role in achieving this outcome.

Accreditation is the arrangement established by the Government to verify that aged care services provide quality care and services for residents. It involves an independent team of quality assessors, appointed by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd (the Agency), evaluating the achievements of a service against a pre-determined set of Accreditation Standards.

All residential aged care services must be accredited in order to receive funding from the Australian Government through residential care subsidies.  Individual services, rather than an approved provider, are accredited. Once a service is accredited, it is monitored to check that it continues to comply with the Accreditation Standards.

Accreditation is formal recognition that the service is:

• operating in accordance with the Act and the Principles made under it;
• providing high quality care; including
• working within a continuous improvement framework; and
• making required improvements.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the Accreditation Standards, approved providers must also:

• comply with relevant local, state and Australian Government regulatory requirements;
• comply with professional standards and guidelines; and
• adhere to requirements about charging fees, providing specified care and services and having appropriate staffing.

The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency was established to:

• manage the accreditation process using the Accreditation Standards;
• promote high quality care; including
• identifying best practice in the industry, in order to help the industry improve;
• providing information, education and training to the industry;
• assess services working towards accreditation; and
• monitor compliance with the Accreditation Standards and liaise with the Department about services that do not comply with the standards

A team of quality assessors appointed by the Agency carries out accreditation audits of residential aged care services. All assessors have completed an approved training course and are registered as aged care quality assessors with the registrar of assessors. Quality assessors may either be employed by or contracted by the Agency. All assessors must update their registration annually.

The accreditation process involves an approved provider applying to the Agency for accreditation for an aged care service.

The Accreditation Standards are made up of:

• Standard 1 – Management Systems, Staffing and Organisational Development;
• Standard 2 – Health and Personal Care;
• Standard 3 – Resident Lifestyle;
• Standard 4 – Physical Environment and Safe Systems.

There are forty-four (44) Expected Outcomes listed under these four standards and these are:

Standard 1:

1.1       -           Continuous Improvement

1.2       -           Regulatory Compliance

1.3       -           Education and Staff Development

1.4       -           Comments and Complaints

1.5       -           Planning and Leadership

1.6       -           Human Resource Management

1.7       -           Inventory and Equipment

1.8       -           Information Systems

1.9       -           External Services

Standard 2:

2.1       -           Continuous Improvement

2.2       -           Regulatory Compliance

2.3       -           Education and Staff Development

2.4       -           Clinical Care

2.5       -           Specialised nursing care needs

2.6       -           Other health and related services

2.7       -           Medication management

2.8       -           Pain management

2.9       -           Palliative care

2.10     -           Nutrition and hydration

2.11     -           Skin care

2.12     -           Continence management

2.13     -           Behavioural management

2.14     -           Mobility, dexterity and rehabilitation

2.15     -           Oral and dental care

2.16     -           Sensory loss

2.17     -           Sleep

Standard 3:

3.1       -           Continuous Improvement

3.2       -           Regulatory Compliance

3.3       -           Education and staff development

3.4       -           Emotional support

3.5       -           Independence

3.6       -           Privacy and dignity

3.7       -           Leisure interests and activities

3.8       -           Cultural and spiritual life

3.9       -           Choice and decision-making

3.10     -           Resident security of tenure and responsibilities

Standard 4:

4.1       -           Continuous Improvement

4.2       -           Regulatory Compliance

4.3       -           Education and staff development

4.4       -           Living environment

4.5       -           Occupational health and safety

4.6       -           Fire, security and other emergencies

4.7       -           Infection control

4.8       -           Catering, cleaning and laundry services

Aged care providers are subject to regular full audits (usually a three year cycle but can be any interval in between) in addition to short notice audits and spot checks.  Audits are also undertaken if complaints are received about a service. A range of issues are used as triggers for additional visits.  These include change to management personnel, complaints, outbreaks etc.