Addressing the new Aged Care Quality Standards
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Addressing the New Aged Care Quality Standards

 

From 1 July 2019, all organisations providing aged care services in Australia need to comply with the new Quality Standards. All organisations will need to be able to demonstrate their performance against these standards. To support the aged care sector in meeting the standards, palliAGED will outline evidence based resources and tools supporting care at the end of life in our special In Focus article series.

The quality standards

Standards provide a statement of the expected level of care that someone can expect from an organisation providing a good or a service. They provide the basis against which an organisation’s performance can be assessed.

Australia’s population is diverse and the values and needs of those receiving aged care is also shaped by their personal characteristics, experiences, values and beliefs. The aged care reform process has highlighted the need for a strong consumer focus and this is reflected in the new quality standards.

A single Quality Framework now drives care within this sector.
This framework includes:

screenshot of the palliAGED Brief on supporting aged care standards Download our brief on aged care standards (378kb pdf)

Palliative care and quality standards

Australia’s population is ageing. While we have been very successful at helping people live long and healthy lives, there are also more people dying. Most deaths occur in people over 70 years older and many of these people have some type of involvement with aged care.

Palliative care needs to be considered against all of the quality standards and the quality processes. Each standard has three components: outcomes for the consumer; expectations for the organisation; and organisational requirements to demonstrate that the standard has been met.

Three standards are particularly pertinent to consumer planning, choice and clinical care.

 

 
  Remember:

Each consumer outcome starts with an ‘I’ statement, reminding us that the older person’s viewpoint is paramount.

Standard 1: Consumer dignity and choice

Standard 2: Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers

Standard 3: Personal care and clinical care

Source: Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission website www.agedcarequality.gov.au The use of these images does not constitute an endorsement by the Aged Care Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission of palliAGED activities.

 

Aged Care Royal Commission

The Perth hearing of the Aged Care Royal Commission (24-28 June) inquired into the nature of person-centred care, advance care planning and palliative care services. The evidence highlighted the need to consider palliative care within aged care to ensure that older Australians receive quality care at the end of their life.

Following the Aged Care Royal Commission hearing in Perth, CareSearch Project Director Professor Jennifer Tieman explores some of the issues in ensuring there is holistic care for older Australians approaching their end of life.
Read her blog.

 

 

 

The most important aspects of appropriate palliative care in aged care is "adapting the care to the individual and the family and keeping the resident at the centre of that care"

Joshua Cohen, Nurse Practitioner Aged Care Royal Commission Hearings, P-2826

palliAGED, palliative care and quality standards

palliAGED has information, resources and learning to support palliative care in aged care. We will map specific palliAGED resources to each of Standards 1-3 in the coming weeks. For each of Standards 1-3 we will explore how palliative care and end of life issues could influence the consumer’s care experience and outcome as well as look at how the workforce and organisations can use resources to support their work, approaches and documentation.

Below are some of the palliative care resources already helping the aged care sector:

 

 
  Practical Point

Think about how the Quality Standards could apply to an aged care recipient who you think could be in the last year of life as well as those who have been identified as having palliative care needs.

Page created 04 July 2019