For those of you that are not aware, there are new aged care standards that have been released. These new standards come into effect on the first of July 2019. Most compliance managers in the aged and community care sectors will already be aware of these changes. The changes are aimed at improving the general quality for aged care provision and are very consumer-focused. Currently we are in a transition phase In the roll out of these standards so it is a good opportunity for us to commence a review the content.
The new standards for Aged Care will be divided into 8 sections. The sections are:
- Consumer dignity and choice
- Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
- Personal care and clinical care
- Services and supports for daily living
- Organisation’s service environment
- Feedback and complaints
- Human resources
- Organisational governance
I will be reviewing each section of the standards and outlining the particular requirements in  future Blog posts, as they are too numerous to cover in one post here and now.
In the meantime, there are some excellent resources located on the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency website. The resources page can be found here…
https://www.aacqa.gov.au/providers/standards/new-standards/guidance
Also, there is an excellent and thorough guide which can be located here…
https://www.aacqa.gov.au/providers/standards/new-standards/guidance/Standards18.pdf
Along with the announcement of the new standards is the announcement of unannounced audits. This will mean that organisations will have a 3 month time period in which they know they may be audited, but will not be given the specific date. This presents a further challenge, but in my mind an excellent opportunity to concentrate on all year round quality services.
More updates to come.