About the program
The Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) can provide consumers with useful information on the delivery of quality aged care.
The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator (QI) Program started on 1 July 2019. It requires Commonwealth-subsidised residential aged care services to report on three quality indicators: pressure injuries, use of physical restraint, and unplanned weight loss.
Reports on the quality indicators are published quarterly on the GEN Aged Care Data website (insert link) by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).The reports provide information at a national, state and territory level.
What are the quality indicators?
For each residential aged care consumer, services must measure and report on:
- pressure injuries
- use of physical restraint
- unplanned weight loss.
From 1 July 2021, they will also need to report on two more:
- falls and major injury
- medication management.
Why is the program important?
The QI Program is important because it asks aged care service providers to measure, monitor and report important aspects of the quality of their care.
The QI Program also:
- provides nationally comparable quality indicator data across residential care services in Australia
- creates an evidence base to make quality improvement initiatives simpler
- over time, will enhance how people understand quality in residential care services because they can access better information
How does the program fit in with the Commission’s monitoring of quality at residential aged care services?
The Commission monitors the quality of services in residential care in several ways. All residential services must be accredited to receive government subsidies and are therefore subject to a full audit against the Aged Care Quality Standards.
Between these audits, the Commission may receive complaints, which could be a window into a problem at the service. We will respond by engaging with the provider about the issue raised in the complaint, and we may conduct a spot check at the service to see if there are broader problems.
The Commission can also request information from the provider at any time about their compliance with their responsibilities.
When combined with other information the Commission receives and holds about the performance of a service, the quality indicators assist the Commission in understanding potential issues at a service.
Where can I get more information?
The Department of Health’s website has additional information about the QI program.
You will find the quality indicator data collated and published on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) GEN Aged Care Data website
Currently the reporting combines national and state or territory-level data, which means cannot identify individual services in the data.
Contact
Find more information about the QI Program on the Commission’s website, or by calling the Department of Health’s provider and assessor helpline on 1800 836 799. Call from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday or 10am to 2pm Saturday.