We protect the safety and wellbeing of older people. One way we do this is by identifying possible risks or harm through monitoring activities.
This includes collecting information about how providers meet their responsibilities and manage risks. We collect information through:
- audits
- monitoring and compliance activities
- provider reporting
- complaints
- Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) notifications.
About the targeted enquiry program
One example of a monitoring activity is the food, nutrition and dining targeted enquiry program where we focus on the top known or emerging risks and issues for food, nutrition and dining in aged care.
As part of this program, we collect, analyse and evaluate information from providers about how they identify, monitor and manage known risks. This helps us to work out if we need to do further monitoring or take other regulatory actions.
We assess each provider’s risk controls and support them to improve if they need to. We are fair and balanced when we identify a risk and decide on any further action. We also acknowledge excellence in care.
Targeted enquiry focus 1: malnutrition
Malnutrition is an ongoing, common risk in residential aged care. It’s a serious issue that affects older people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Malnutrition is the first topic we are focusing on through this program. Specifically, how well Category 6 aged care providers identify, monitor and respond to malnutrition risk.
We check that providers:
- regularly screen older people for malnutrition risk
- use validated tools to do this screening
- always monitor the risk of malnutrition
- have strategies to manage malnutrition risk
- respond when they identify malnutrition risk.
Our selection of services is risk-based and proportionate. If you’re a residential aged care provider, we may select you for one of these targeted enquiries if:
- unplanned weight loss is above average
- you have low food expenditure
- you have a high proportion of residents who say that they never or only sometimes like the food
- you have services located in a rural, remote or regional areas
Get in touch
Call our Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline on 1800 844 044 if you have:
- questions about our monitoring activities
- questions or concerns food, nutrition and dining in aged care.
You can find more information about our monitoring activities in our Monitoring Policy.