About the program
The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) started on 1 July 2019. It requires Commonwealth-subsidised residential aged care services to collect data and report on a set of quality indicators every 3 months.
The QI Program can provide useful information on the delivery of quality aged care.
Reports on the quality indicators are published quarterly and annually on the GEN Aged Care Data website by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The reports provide information at a national, state and territory level, which means individual services can't be identified in the data.
What are the quality indicators?
Currently, Commonwealth-subsidised residential aged care services need to collect data and report on:
- pressure injuries
- physical restraint
- unplanned weight loss
- falls and major injury (new)
- medication management (new) including polypharmacy and anti-psychotics.
From 1 April 2023, these services will also be required to collect data and report on:
- activities of daily living
- incontinence care
- hospitalisation
- workforce
- consumer experience
- quality of life.
Further information regarding the additional quality indicators is available now in the draft QI Program Manual 3.0 – Part A.
Why is the program important?
The QI Program is important because it asks residential aged care service providers to measure, monitor and report important aspects of the quality of care they provide.
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.
What is the Commission's role?
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) monitors the quality of services in residential care in several ways.
When combined with other information we receive and hold about the performance of a service, the QI Program data helps us to understand potential issues at a service and guides our regulatory activities.
More information
More information about the QI Program is available on this website and on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the QI Program, you can call us on 1800 951 822 or email us at QIProgram@agedcarequality.gov.au.