The Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy 2024-2029 recognises the increasing use and potential of data and digital technology to enhance the care and wellbeing of older people. There is interest in data relating to many different aspects of aged care including:
- financial activity,
- workforce composition and changes,
- clinical and care needs and services, and
- quality measurement.
This data can inform what needs to change and monitor improvements over time. However, aged care data, can be variable and inconsistent, lacking relevant definitions, focusing on disconnected aspects of care, and gathered for unrelated administrative purposes. This makes it hard to get the full benefit of data from our rapidly emerging and expanding digital systems.
The role of data
Data will be a critical part of aged care’s future. Current data collections underpin the star rating system and the quality indicators program. This shows the government’s interest in using data to support their decision making. Services can also consider how they can use this data for their strategic benefit. Secure, shared and reused data is seen as contributing to a sustainable and continually improving aged care system. However, this future relies on a digitally informed workforce and services which value and use data.
Data should not be seen as simply something that is reported to government but a mechanism that drives change and innovation within each individual service.
Palliative care data
Digital systems and data can support people as they age, and they can also support older people as they approach the end of life. Data and digital systems have a critical role in ensuring connected and person-centred care over time, across settings of care and with different care providers. Technology and digital advances will also be involved in identifying and responding to the emerging care needs of an older person in the last months or years of life and the people who support them.
Data collection standards and programs in palliative care are still in their infancy. Developing capability and resources is needed to address the increasing demand for aged care and implicit impacts on end-of-life care within this sector.
Assessing and monitoring quality
Aged care has a significant regulatory framework which relies on reviews, assessment and audits to determine compliance and quality assurance. The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program enables residential providers to compare their performance against national results and provides sector trends. At the moment, there is no palliative care indicator.
Review audits assess residential aged care providers against the Aged Care Quality Standards. A site audit is conducted at a residential aged care service once an approved provider has submitted an application for re-accreditation. Star ratings provide an indication of a residential aged care provider’s quality of care. They draw on data reported against the residents’ experience, compliance status, staffing data, and quality measures. It is worth noting that the strengthened standards coming into play on 1 July 2025 include a Clinical Standard (Standard 5) with a specific palliative care and end of life outcome (Outcome 5.7). This means that palliative care information will be contributing to the data assessment of residential aged care and the Support at Home program.
Find out more
ARIIA Knowledge and Implementation Hub. Implementing Technology: Technology in Aged Care. Evidence Theme. Adelaide, SA: ARIIA; 2023 Details implementation considerations around the introduction of technology into aged care.
AIHW Exploring future data and information needs for aged care includes information on the current data landscape for aged care,
Digital Health CRC: Aged Care Data Explainer. This brief report looks at the national digital health and aged care strategies released since 2023, in Australia, with the aim of understanding how they fit together.
Department of Health and Aged Care Data and digital roadmap: digital changes in aged care in 2025 Provides an overview of the pending digital changes and provider implications.
Page created 10 February 2025