Step 1: Becoming Familiar with Requirements
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Step 1: Becoming Familiar with Requirements

Services are feeling the pressure of all the pending changes. We know that services and teams are getting prepared and setting up new processes and systems to address many of the pending changes. Some of the key areas of change are detailed blow.

Key documents and requirements

  • The Aged Care Act embodies an older person’s rights including the right to equitable access to palliative care and end of life care. It emphasises the importance of advance care planning giving individuals a way to make decisions about their future health and personal care needs.
  • It outlines the rights of older people who are seeking and accessing aged care services and creates a single-entry point, with clear eligibility requirements and assessment processes.
  • The Act supports the delivery of aged care services and establishes a new system oversight and accountability arrangements. It will increase provider accountability through a new regulatory model and strengthen the aged care regulator.
  • The Act establishes a framework for supported decision-making across the aged care system. Supported decision-making emphasises a person’s autonomy and ability to make decisions and recognises the role of supporters.

  • The February 2025 update of the strengthened Quality Standards are more measurable and detailed and reflect the expected quality of aged care. They use clear language, minimise duplication, align with wording used in the new Aged Care Act 2024 and reflect the new Statement of Rights.
  • The Clinical Care Standard (Standard 5) describes the responsibilities of providers to deliver safe and quality clinical care services to older people. This standard also acknowledges that older people may be experiencing sickness, frailty, disability, cognitive impairment or be nearing the end of their life. Outcome 5.7 delas specifically with palliative care and end of life care.

  • Providers must be guided by the aged care rights and principles (Section 23 and 25 of the Act) that underpin the Support at Home program and apply wellness and reablement approaches.
  • Eligibility for Support at Home is assessed by an aged care assessor using the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT).
  • The Statement of Principles highlight the need to put older people first, to treat them as unique individuals, and to recognise their rights as participants under the Statement of Rights.
  • Support at Home has eight funding classifications for ongoing services and three short term funding classifications: the Restorative Care Pathway, the End-of-Life Pathway and the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme.
  • The End-of-Life Pathway will support participants who have been diagnosed with 3 months or less to live and wish to remain at home, by providing an increase in the level of services available. A total of $25,000 is available per eligible participant over a 12-week period. An older person is eligible to access the End-of-Life Pathway if they meet the following criteria: A doctor or nurse practitioner advising estimated life expectancy of 3 months or less to live, and Australian-modified Karnofsky Performance Status (AKPS) score (mobility/frailty indicator) of 40 or less.

  • On 1 July 2025, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will have a new role and responsibilities under the new Aged Care Act, focusing on a person-centred system, strengthened quality standards, and a new regulatory model to ensure the rights and wellbeing of older Australians are protected.
  • The Sector Readiness Plan (303kb pdf) gives an overview of the resources the Commission is developing to support the reform agenda including the Standards.

The older person is at the heart of care

All the documents reinforce the central role of the older person as the heart of aged care. Standard 1relates to the individual. Standard 1 underpins the way that providers and aged care workers are expected to treat older people and is relevant to all standards

Standard 1: Expectation statement for older people:

I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to live free from any form of discrimination. I make decisions about my funded aged care services, with support when I want or need it. My identity, culture and diversity are valued and supported, and I have the right to live the life I choose. My provider understands who I am and what is important to me, and this determines the way my funded aged care services are delivered

Preparing for 1 July 2025

From 1 July 2025, aged care services will need to be able to identify responsibilities under Act and standards and have adjusted to changes to the funding programs. Providers need to be familiar with the various documents and be able to describe how they are addressing key aspects and show evidence of their engagement with the changes.

We have reviewed the documentation for key responsibilities associated with palliative care and end of life. Our Being Prepared Checklist (XXXkb pdf) [New PDF Being Prepared Checklist] is a handy guide to help guide planning and activities. You can use different palliAGED resources to help with planning your actions to address the new requirements. The Getting Started with palliAGED sheet (101kb pdf) is a good place to start.

Test your knowledge (XXXkb pdf) [New PDF Test Your Knowledge] is a quiz on death and dying matters that can spark conversations on death and dying, older people and aged care. It aims to remind services and staff that end of life is part of aged care. This can help your staff to understand why you may be setting up some new processes or offering them further training.

There is also a specific summary relating to the End-of-Life Pathway (XXXkb pdf) [New PDF Support at Home End of Life Pathway] which is now one of the specific pathways in the Support at Home Program.


Page created 24 March 2025