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As the national regulator of Commonwealth-funded aged care services, the Commission’s role is to protect and enhance the safety, health, well-being and quality of life of older Australians receiving aged care.

The recent COVID-19 outbreaks at residential aged care services in Victoria have understandably brought great anxiety to residents, family members and staff.  They serve as a reminder of the elevated risks facing aged care services during the pandemic, and reinforce the need for everyone in the aged care sector to remain alert and ready.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is closely monitoring the situation in Victoria and providing support to aged care services in managing the increased risks of a COVID-19 outbreak.

As the national regulator of Commonwealth subsidised aged care services, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has been acutely aware of the health risk posed by COVID-19 to older Australians. 

During the pandemic, we have used our broad range of regulatory functions to help manage risks to consumers and monitor the performance of aged care providers. We have also partnered with public health responders to support the management of suspected and confirmed outbreaks of COVID-19 at aged care services. 

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has now received written agreement from Anglican Community Services, the approved provider for Newmarch House, that it will undertake the actions outlined in the Notice issued by the Commission on 6 May 2020.

The Notice issued yesterday to Anglican Community Services required their agreement by 5pm today (7 May 2020) to take specified actions in response to continued evidence of immediate and severe risk to the safety, health and well-being of residents at Newmarch House.

“As the national regulator of Commonwealth funded aged care services, the Commission’s role is to protect and enhance the safety, health, well-being and quality of life of older Australians receiving aged care. 

The Commission is acutely aware that aged care consumers are among those who are most vulnerable to the virus and the risks it presents to people’s health and life. In the context of the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (released on  18 February 2020), the Commission moved quickly to focus our regulatory approach to respond to the pandemic.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the community is looking for reassurance that older people receiving aged care will be well looked after and will be kept safe.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is squarely focused on this priority. We remain on duty and determined to continue fulfilling our statutory obligations to protect the safety, health, wellbeing and quality of life of aged care consumers.

From 1 January 2020, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is now the national end-to-end regulator of aged care services, and the primary point of contact for consumers and providers in relation to quality and safety.

The experiences of older Australians living in residential aged care have been analysed in a new report released today as a result of a partnership between the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

A statement from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on the release of the Royal Commission Interim Report

A statement from a spokesperson from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on People Care (Earle Haven) aged care facility at Nerang, QLD.