The information on this page is for home services. This includes home care services, Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services and flexible care services through which short-term restorative care is provided in a home care setting.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program will have a quality review in accordance with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program Guidelines.
Commission Act and Rules
From 1 January 2020, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Rules 2018 (Commission Rules) have changed. For information about key changes for providers, please see our Commission Act and Rules page.
What is a quality review?
A quality review is conducted at least once every three years. It is the process of reviewing the quality of services delivered against the Quality Standards. The process includes an onsite quality audit, a quality audit report and a performance report.
Notification of quality review
A quality review includes a quality audit to the premises of the home service provider of the service. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner (Commissioner) will generally give the service written notification of the date or dates of the quality audit to the premises of the home service provider. This will include a form of words for telling consumers and their nominated representatives about the quality audit.
If the Commissioner considers, on reasonable grounds, that the home service provider of the service is not complying with the Quality Standards, prior notification of the site visit is not required.
Informing consumers and nominated representatives
If the home service provider has been advised of the dates of the quality audit, the home service provider must take all reasonable steps to use the form of words in the written notice, to tell each consumer and their nominated representative about the quality audit.
Self-assessment
Ongoing self-assessment helps home services to ensure they maintain and improve the quality of care and services they deliver to their consumers. Home service providers will be requested during quality reviews to provide self-assessment information that demonstrates their performance against the Quality Standards. Providers may use their own self-assessment tools and methods or they may choose to use our template.
For more information, please visit our self-assessment page.
Quality audit
Upon arrival at the service, quality assessors request consent to enter and exercise search powers for regulatory purposes. The quality assessors show their credentials and give the person of the service who is in charge at the service a letter confirming the visit.
The quality assessors interview the person in charge of the service. This will include asking a set of risk-based questions developed by the Commission. These questions change based on identified industry risks and trends. See the most up to date list of questions.
Quality assessors assess the quality of care and services provided through the home service against the Quality Standards. Quality assessors use a standardised assessment methodology, using interview, observation and document review, to gather and corroborate information.
As part of the quality review, quality assessors may conduct a site visit to premises on which the service is provided. This may include the site of a contractor (for example, for offsite meal preparation) or the home of a consumer receiving home services. Quality assessors request consent to enter these premises.
Interviews with aged care consumers or their nominated representatives
Prior to the quality review, consumers or their nominated representatives may contact the Commission to provide feedback about the care and services they receive.
If a consumer or their nominated representative asks to meet with a quality assessors during the quality audit, the home service provider must take all reasonable steps to assist the quality assessor to meet privately with the consumer or their nominated representative.
Quality audit report
The quality assessors will provide a quality audit report with their assessment of the provider’s performance in relation to the service against the Quality Standards to the Commission within 7 days after the quality audit was completed.
Responding to the quality audit report
The Commission will give the quality audit report to the provider of the home service so that they have the opportunity to:
- understand the reasons, evidence and facts that the delegate is to rely on in identifying areas for improvement and in making a compliance decision
- provide a response to matters identified in the quality audit report that may be relied on by the delegate.
The home service provider has 14 days to provide a written response to the report.
The response should present factual information about how the service meets the Quality Standards. It should include actions have been taken or are planned to meet the Quality Standards to ensure adequate and sustainable services for consumers.
Home service providers should consider all information provided in the report when preparing their response or when planning continuous improvement to the care and services to consumers.
Performance report
Within 28 days after the Commission is given a copy of the quality audit report, a delegate of the Commissioner prepares a performance report. In developing the performance report, the delegate takes into account the quality audit report, any response from the provider and other relevant information or matters.
The performance report:
- includes an assessment of the home service provider’s performance, in relation to a home service, against the Quality Standards (compliant/non-compliant decision for each assessed Standard and requirement level where applicable)
- may specify any areas in which improvements must be made to ensure the Quality Standards are complied with
- may include any other relevant matters.
The provider will be given a copy of the performance report.
Please read our page on Non-compliance with the Aged Care Quality Standards for more information.
More information
- See Information for providers – Initial documents requested during performance assessments in residential services
- See Risk-based questions that will be asked on commencement of a performance assessment.