Aged Care Quality Bulletin #79 - July 2025 | Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Commissioner’s message

Earlier this week we hosted our National Aged Care Provider Conference 2025 – Navigating the change – rights and regulation. Over 2,700 provider representatives joined us in person and virtually from across the country at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

With 1 November firmly in our sights, the 2-day gathering was a timely opportunity to make connections, learn from peers and explore the changing landscape of rights-based aged care. We heard from a broad range of providers about their approaches to organisational, workforce and clinical governance under the new Aged Care Act. We shared insights into our new registration and regulatory models. And we discussed how we will support providers to have the right systems ready to transition to the new Act.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us to share their insights and learnings as we navigate the way ahead together.

Thank you to the many organisations that exhibited at the conference. It adds so much to the experience to talk to you in person and learn about your work.

We’ll share more about the conference highlights and takeaways in next month’s issue. Look out for the session recordings too, which will be available on our website in the coming weeks.

This year NAIDOC Week (6–13 July) marked 50 years of honouring and elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, culture and resilience. It was a great opportunity to learn, share reflections and of course celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Within the Commission, our Indigenous Staff Network organised meetings and events to increase our knowledge and recognise the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the Countries we work in. We also continue to develop resources to help providers deliver high-quality, culturally-safe aged care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This includes a new video about the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receiving care that you can find in our First Nations Hub.

We continue our preparations for the start of the new Act from 1 November. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage providers to prepare for the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards which will apply to providers in registration categories 4 to 6, but also remind them that until then the current Quality Standards still apply. You can read more about how the standards will change and find resources about adapting to the strengthened Quality Standards on our website and on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website.

Liz Hefren-Webb

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner

Aged care reform update

Amending legislation introduced to Parliament

On 24 July, the Australian Government introduced amending legislation to Parliament. This is a key milestone to make sure the new Aged Care Act 2024 can operate as intended. The next step will be the new Act starting from 1 November this year.

The new Aged Care Act will deliver the historic, rights-based system recommended by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. It will make sure older people can access the safe, high-quality aged care they deserve, where and when they need it.

To help aged care providers prepare, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released the final draft of the Aged Care Rules to give further detail and instruction on how the new Aged Care Act will work.

Publishing the Rules well ahead of the new Act’s start date will give providers time to understand the changes and prepare their systems and workforce.

Read a summary of the key changes to the Rules following public consultation.

Videos on the new Aged Care Act and Support at Home start date

The new start date of 1 November for the new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program gives the sector more time to understand the changes, set up new systems and train and prepare workers.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released 2 videos to explain what the new start date for the Aged Care Act and Support at Home means for providers, your workers and older people receiving your services.

The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards will also start with the new Aged Care Act. Until then, the current Aged Care Quality Standards still apply.

We’ll continue to work closely with the sector to provide details about the new laws and support you to make the changes.

You can find out more about the new start date for the Aged Care Act, by reading these frequently asked questions.

Strong governance – the key to delivering quality care

From 1 November, registered providers will have legal obligations to strengthen governance practices.

Our latest Regulatory Bulletin summarises what these obligations are, how providers need to report on them and how we'll regulate them.

Under the new Aged Care Act and the Aged Care Rules, which start from 1 November 2025, specific providers must:

have a governing body made up of independent non-executive members and at least one member with experience providing clinical care
set up and support a quality care advisory body
offer to set up a consumer advisory body at least once every 12 months
put the interests of people receiving aged care first (rather than the interests of the holding company) if the organisation is a wholly owned subsidiary.

Strong governance arrangements help you improve outcomes for older people and comply with your obligations.

You can find more information in our:

latest Regulatory Bulletin
Provider Governance Policy.

New Support at Home resources

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released more resources for providers that are moving to Support at Home from 1 November.

The new resources include:

The updated Support at Home Program Provider Transition Guide is also available.

You can find more Support at Home resources on the department’s website.

New First Nations ‘Your rights in aged care’ video

The new Aged Care Act will bring stronger rules and standards to better protect the rights of First Nations peoples receiving care. This includes respecting their identity and culture.  

We’ve created a new video resource, Your rights in aged care, to support First Nations people who are aged 50 or over and their family or friends. It explains who is eligible for care, the types of care available, privacy and people’s rights.

The video has been co-designed with key First Nations stakeholders, including aged care peak bodies, providers, workers and older people.

We’ve also updated our First Nations Stakeholder Communications Kit.

You can find this resource and more information about how we’re supporting First Nations providers, workers and older people on our First Nations Hub.

Indexation of the maximum accommodation payment amount

From 1 July, the maximum amount that residential aged care providers can charge for a room increased to $758,627. This was due to indexation, in line with changes to the Consumer Price Index.

It was the first annual indexation increase since the maximum amount was raised to $750,000 in January 2025, as recommended by the Aged Care Taskforce.

Providers must have current approval from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) to publish or charge more than the maximum. This approval must be current at the time it’s published, and incoming residents must agree with it.

Providers can’t increase prices for existing residents. You also can’t charge over your maximum advertised price for a room on My Aged Care, your website or any printed materials.

To find out more, read:

Consultation: residential aged care pricing

The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) has opened a consultation to help them advise the government on residential aged care pricing and costing.

The consultation covers several key areas, including:

IHACPA’s cost collections
the assessment of the Multi-Purpose Services Program (MPSP) funding model
the assessment of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program (NATSIFAC) funding model
residential aged care supplements and required hotel services.

Your feedback will help IHACPA provide fair and transparent residential aged care pricing advice to the government.

To get involved:

Submit your feedback by 5pm AEST, Friday 22 August 2025.

Upcoming changes to care minutes funding

The Australian Government is making changes to the way it funds the delivery of care minutes for residential aged care.

Many aged care homes have made big efforts to increase staffing levels to meet their care minutes responsibility. But, reporting shows that many aged care homes in metropolitan areas aren't meeting their care minutes targets.

From April 2026, residential providers in metropolitan areas (MM1) will only receive their full Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) funding if they meet their care minutes targets. The amount of funding they receive will depend on the care minutes they deliver from the October–December quarter of 2025 onwards.

Aged care homes in rural, remote and very remote areas (MM2–MM7), and those providing specialised homeless services in metropolitan (MM1) areas, won’t be affected.

The aim of this change is to:

increase providers’ compliance with care minutes targets
make sure aged care residents receive the dedicated care time they need.

It also makes sure the Government isn’t paying for care minutes that providers aren’t delivering.

The delay of the new Aged Care Act to November 2025 won’t affect the timing of this change.

Find out more about care minutes in residential aged care.

Our reports

Public consultation report on new fees for providers

We’ve published a report summarising feedback to our recent consultation on proposed new fees for providers.

From 5 March to 1 April, we ran a public consultation to better understand the key concerns and impacts of the proposed new fees on providers. New fees will apply when the new Aged Care Act commences on 1 November.

We received a total of 71 responses to our public consultation through survey responses and written email submissions.

Some respondents are concerned the new fees will cause additional financial strain and fee waivers may be too limited to a small group. Respondents also said new charging arrangements, including fee waivers, are difficult to understand. They called for more consultation, communication and resources to help them.

Feedback from the consultation will help shape advice we give to the government on charging arrangements for the next 2 years.

In the lead up to 1 November, a new Cost Recovery Implementation Statement will be available on our website. This will set out the new charging arrangements and fees.

In the meantime, we will develop additional resources to help providers better understand the new charging arrangements and fees.

Read the Public Consultation Summary Report to find out more. And visit our website to learn more about the consultation.

We'll continue to release and update resources. To stay up to date, keep reading our monthly newsletter.

New insights report: Governance responsibilities

We’ve published a new insights report on our review of provider governance responsibilities and obligations.

Governance responsibilities include having appropriate governing body membership and clinical, corporate and financial governance arrangements in place.

Effective governance is key to supporting safe, high-quality care for older people.

From January to April 2025, we reviewed 30 providers across Australia. We checked if they understood and complied with their governance responsibilities.

Most providers were compliant, but we found that some didn’t have:

appropriate processes to inform us of changes to key staff
regular reviews of their governance policies
a consumer advisory body that met the requirements
a quality care advisory body that met the requirements.

Our report identifies 4 key things for providers to think about:

setting up governance systems for information management, regulatory compliance, and feedback and complaints
making sure staff have the right qualifications, skills and experience
using internal and external audits to find gaps in processes
giving older people and their representatives clear information on refunding refundable deposits.

From 1 November 2025, providers must comply with governance responsibilities set out in the new Aged Care Act, the new Financial and Prudential Standards, the Aged Care Rules 2025 and the strengthened Quality Standards.

You can read the insights report on our website or email us at F&P.reviews&audits@agedcarequality.gov.au with any questions.

Food, nutrition and dining

When you know, you grow: Continuous improvement in food, nutrition and dining

Continuous improvement in aged care is an ongoing effort to improve your care and services. It’s a way you can use feedback to learn and grow stronger.

When it comes to what older people like to eat and drink and how they want to dine, the best outcomes happen when services and residents work together. Listen to the people in your care. It will help you understand and meet their needs.

Use a system to plan, monitor and continuously improve food, nutrition and dining at your service. Record the issues and concerns people raise and describe what you’ll do to address them. Make changes to show that you’re listening and be open about what you’re doing so everyone feels involved.

You can learn more about the benefits and find tips for making food and dining improvements in your organisation, in our full article.

Introducing our new food focus group toolkit

Offering choice of food and drink is vital for the quality of life, health and wellbeing of older people. Choice relates to all aspects of an older person’s food, drink, meals and dining experience. It includes what, when, where and how they eat and drink.

In residential aged care settings, it can be challenging to understand and meet each person’s needs and preferences. Providers should work with older people to come to reasonable, agreeable and practical outcomes.

A Food Focus Group is a great way to talk with your residents and get their feedback. It’s an opportunity to consult with them about the food and drinks you offer, the design of your menus and their dining experience.

We’ve created a Food Focus Group toolkit to help you set up a Food Focus Group at your service.

The toolkit includes:

information on the benefits of working with older people, such as designing menus together
practical information on setting up a Food Focus Group
resources such as a fact sheet, a feedback form and meeting templates
real-life examples from within the sector.

You can find the toolkit on our website.

Clinical update

Managing pain in aged care

National Pain Week (21–27 July 2025) aimed to raise awareness of chronic pain and provide support, information, education and resources to help fight pain.

The results of the National Pain Survey in 2024 showed that:

7 out of 10 Australians feel ignored when it comes to their experience of pain
45% of those surveyed said it took 3 years or more to get a diagnosis
9% of those surveyed felt ignored or dismissed when raising pain issues with health professionals.

Pain management

Effectively managing pain is a responsibility of all aged care providers and clinical care workers. This includes making sure you recognise and assess ongoing signs and symptoms of pain in a timely and suitable way. If you start a person on pain management, you should regularly review the strategies you’re using to:

make sure they’re effective
assess whether there is a long-term need for pain medication.

You should do this for both medication and non-medication based strategies.

Strategies need to meet each older person’s needs and be developed in partnership with them and their supporters.

Allied health professionals working in aged care also play an important role in making sure pain management is safe, effective and sustainable. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and psychology services can use evidence-based, non-medication based strategies like:

exercise
cognitive behavioural therapy
environmental modifications.

These things can address both the physical and emotional aspects of pain and improve a person’s function and quality of life.

Resources

RACGP aged care clinical guide Silver Book – Part A: Pain
Pain Management Guide (PMG) Toolkit for Aged Care, 2nd edition (National Ageing Research Institute)
Abbey pain scale (for people who can’t tell you their pain level)

Diabetes awareness

This year Diabetes Week 2025 (13–19 July) focused on prevention.

New research from Diabetes Australia shows around 1.5 million Australians are living with type 2 diabetes, and this number is increasing each year.

According to the National Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of people living with type 2 diabetes in Australia almost tripled from 2000 to 2021 from around 400,000 to almost 1.2 million.

Prevention is better than cure

The national cost of diabetes care in Australia is $9.1 billion each year. It’s important to recognise that many people are being diagnosed too late. By documenting signs and symptoms and checking blood sugar levels early and regularly we can help prevent chronic and serious health problems. This is especially important for people in high-risk groups like those with obesity, heart disease and a family history of diabetes.

Older people and diabetes care

To manage diabetes in aged care, you need a tailored approach to meet the unique needs of older people. A significant percentage of people in residential aged care have diabetes, often alongside other health conditions. This can make management complex. Effective care involves a balance of:

healthy eating
physical activity
medication management (including insulin if necessary)
regular monitoring of blood glucose levels.

Resources

National Diabetes Services Scheme: Diabetes management in aged care: A practical handbook

Training and resources

Education resources on infection prevention and control (IPC)

Changes to IPC Lead training requirements

From 1 August 2025, IPC Leads who are working towards specialist training will no longer need to complete the COVID-19 IPC training course. This course won’t be available from the end of July. Instead, IPC Leads who haven’t done specialist IPC training must complete the Interim IPC training course available on our Alis learning platform.

The training covers:

Hand hygiene
Principles of IPC
Risk management for infectious agents and diseases
The basics of IPC for aged care: Train the trainer

You can find more information on the changes to IPC Lead requirements, including changes to reporting, on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Learn more about IPC in aged care

We've published an ‘IPC in aged care’ program that has a range of resources to help increase skills and knowledge of effective IPC practices. The resources help you to understand the risks of infection and the practical steps you can take.

There are 5 courses available:

IPC - In practice
IPC – Clinical care
IPC – For people with cognitive impairment or dementia
IPC – Governance
IPC – Outbreak management planning

The IPC program supports staff at all levels to deliver effective IPC measures in aged care services. You can access the IPC in aged care learning program through Alis.

Online live learning

Places are available for our upcoming live learning sessions in August. Each month, we deliver live learning for people working in the aged care sector. These sessions offer practical tips to support learners to understand how to meet their obligations in their service. Commission facilitators deliver our live learning sessions.

Our workshop topic for August is:

The strengthened Quality Standards: preparing for the changes in residential and home services – A session to help you learn about the strengthened Quality Standards, and how you can apply them in your workplace.

Places are limited, so head to Live learning | Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to learn more or register today.