Measuring quality
The review of national aged care quality regulatory processes (2.11MB pdf) found that the accreditation of residential care providers had resulted in improved quality of care. However, evidence of failures and media reporting of anecdotal accounts of abuse and neglect has led to establishment of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Quality can mean different things to different people which makes it difficult to measure. Assessing quality in palliative care is even more difficult. As quality of care is difficult to measure, quality indicators are often used. These may measure aspects of care given or the experience of care received or the processes in place to ensure quality of care.
Recognising the importance of providing people with better information upon which to make a decision the Government has introduced two initiatives, the National Quality Indicator Program and Consumer Experience Reports. The first is aimed at providing objective information relating to performance around three key aspects of clinical care and the second is designed to provide information gathered from residents about their experience living in the facility around areas considered important for quality of life.
All Commonwealth subsidised residential aged care services must collect and provide quality indicator data against the following quality indicators:
- pressure injuries
- use of physical restraint
- unplanned weight loss.
You can learn more about consumer experience reports in the pages on Consumer Experience.
Page created 12 June 2019