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Aged care laws in Australia have now changed. The new Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025 now apply. While we complete updating of our website, including draft guidance and other materials, to align with the new laws, providers are advised to refer to the new Act and Rules for any required clarification of their obligations and legal responsibilities. Thank you for your patience.

Quality Standards Resource Centre

The Quality Standards Resource Centre helps extend understanding of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, which take effect from 1 November 2025. The Resource Centre will be updated to reflect key changes made to the draft strengthened Standards. You can search for resources by using keywords, or filtering by standard, outcome, audience and theme. Before using the Resource Centre, please read the terms of use.

Displaying 21 to 40 of 138 result(s)
/quality-standards/dementia-and-oral-health

Dementia and oral health

Guidance

This resource provides information on the impact of dementia on oral health, outlining key issues such as increased risk of poor oral health, the effects of medications, and the importance of maintaining dental care routines. It offers practical tips for toothbrushing, denture care, and dental visits to support those living with dementia.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.6 Cognitive impairment  
Dementia and oral health
/quality-standards/covid-19-resource-kit

COVID-19 resource kit

Fact sheet, Guidance
Last Updated

This resource kit provides downloadable tools for businesses, including aged care, to manage COVID-19 risks. It includes checklists, posters, and infographics covering hygiene, physical distancing, cleaning, and response actions if a worker contracts COVID-19. These materials help workplaces implement safe practices and reduce the spread of the virus.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
COVID-19 resource kit
/quality-standards/translated-resources-sexually-transmissible-infections

Translated resources on sexually transmissible infections

Fact sheet, Video
Last Updated

This resource provides translated videos, fact sheets, and posters from the Beforeplay campaign to educate multicultural communities about sexually transmissible infections (STIs). It promotes STI testing, safe sex practices, and includes materials in multiple languages to improve accessibility and encourage conversations around sexual health.

Author
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Translated resources on sexually transmissible infections
/quality-standards/standard-and-transmission-based-precautions-posters

Standard and transmission-based precautions posters

Poster
Published date

This resource includes posters outlining standard and transmission-based precautions for infection control. It provides guidance on preventing healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene, appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and environmental cleaning. These posters support staff in implementing best practices for infection prevention across care settings, including aged care facilities. 

Author
Australian Commission On Safety And Quality In Health Care
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Standard and transmission-based precautions posters
/quality-standards/covid-19-information-workplaces-aged-care

COVID-19 Information for workplaces - Aged care

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides work health and safety (WHS) guidance for the aged care industry during COVID-19. It includes information on employer responsibilities, safe workplace practices, and compliance with public health directions. It supports aged care providers in managing COVID-19 risks across various settings, including residential, respite, and in-home care services.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
COVID-19 Information for workplaces - Aged care
/quality-standards/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource explains respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common and highly contagious virus that affects the airways and lungs. It outlines symptoms, prevention, and potential complications, especially for young children and older adults. It also provides information on diagnosis, treatment, and recently approved vaccines for at-risk groups.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
/quality-standards/resources-sexually-transmissible-infections

Resources on sexually transmissible infections

Fact sheet, Video
Last Updated

This resource offers materials from the Beforeplay campaign to raise awareness about sexually transmissible infections (STIs). It provides videos, fact sheets, and posters aimed at educating people on STI prevention, testing, and protection, with tailored resources for various groups including young people, couples, and healthcare professionals. 

Author
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Resources on sexually transmissible infections
/quality-standards/national-hand-hygiene-initiative-nhhi

National Hand Hygiene Initiative – NHHI

Tool
Last Updated

This resource provides an overview of the National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI), aimed at preventing infections in healthcare settings through effective hand hygiene practices. It offers tools, training, and data for hand hygiene compliance, supporting healthcare providers in reducing contamination risks and improving patient safety. 

Author
Australian Commission On Safety And Quality In Health Care
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
National Hand Hygiene Initiative – NHHI
/quality-standards/infection-prevention-and-control-systems

Infection prevention and control systems

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides a detailed overview of infection prevention and control systems in healthcare settings. It highlights the use of standard and transmission-based precautions, hand hygiene, aseptic techniques, and workforce immunisation. The document outlines strategies to reduce infection risks and maintain clean, safe environments, ensuring comprehensive infection control management​. 

Author
Australian Commission On Safety And Quality In Health Care
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Infection prevention and control systems
/quality-standards/infection-prevention-and-control-advisory-committee

Infection Prevention and Control Advisory Committee

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource outlines the role of the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Advisory Committee. The committee provides strategic advice to support national initiatives related to infection prevention and control, focusing on compliance with safety standards, infection surveillance, and improving engagement with clinicians and consumers to enhance IPC practices​. 

Author
Australian Commission On Safety And Quality In Health Care
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Infection Prevention and Control Advisory Committee
/quality-standards/covid-19-information-workplaces-general

COVID-19 Information for workplaces - General

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides guidance on minimising the spread of COVID-19, including aged care settings. It outlines vaccine information, risk assessments, physical distancing, hygiene and rapid antigen testing in the workplace. It also contains key resources such as signage, posters and translated information.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Environment, Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 4.2: Infection prevention and control
COVID-19 Information for workplaces - General
/quality-standards/ensuring-appropriate-patient-placement

Ensuring appropriate patient placement

Guidance
Published date

This resource provides guidance on ensuring appropriate patient placement in healthcare settings to prevent the spread of infections. It supports healthcare workers in assessing and allocating beds based on infection risks, promoting effective use of PPE, dedicated equipment, and environmental cleaning as part of transmission-based precautions. 

Author
Australian Commission On Safety And Quality In Health Care
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Ensuring appropriate patient placement
/quality-standards/how-clean-and-disinfect-your-workplace-covid-19

How to clean and disinfect your workplace - COVID-19

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource provides detailed guidelines on cleaning and disinfecting workplaces, including aged care settings, to minimise the spread of COVID-19. It outlines cleaning procedures for different surfaces and items, the proper use of disinfectants, and disposal of materials. It supports workplace hygiene by ensuring routine and post-exposure cleaning protocols.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Environment, Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment
Outcomes
4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 4.2: Infection prevention and control
How to clean and disinfect your workplace - COVID-19
/quality-standards/national-antimicrobial-prescribing-survey-naps

National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS)

Tool

This survey resource provides a framework for assessing antimicrobial prescribing practices in aged care and other health settings. It supports health facilities in evaluating the appropriateness of antimicrobial use through audit tools and data collection, contributing to antimicrobial stewardship and improved patient care quality.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS)
/quality-standards/preventing-urinary-tract-infections-recognise-dehydration-poster

Preventing urinary tract infections: recognise dehydration poster

Poster
Published date
Last Updated

This provider poster is an educational tool is part of the Commission’s resource bundle to improve antibiotic use for urinary tract infections in aged care services.

Dinka - Pɛ̈n Tuany ë lɛc  (PDF  200.17 KB)
Korean - 요로 감염 예방  (PDF  205.57 KB)
Author
Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Two columns: 1. urine colour chart; 2. outline of human body
/quality-standards/ipc-self-assessment-checklists

IPC Self assessment checklists

Guides
Published date
Last Updated

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) undertakes a range of regulatory activities to monitor compliance and mitigate risk to aged care consumers. The Commission has incorporated spot check monitoring of infection control practice into its usual regulatory activities. You can find more information about Infection control spot checks here

Author
Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
ipc-governance-self-assessment-checklist
/quality-standards/dip-or-not-dip-implementation-guide-nurse-and-pharmacist-champions

To Dip or Not to Dip - Implementation Guide for Nurse and Pharmacist Champions

Guidance, Guides
Published date

To Dip or Not to Dip (TDONTD) is a quality improvement intervention successfully implemented in UK and Australian aged care homes to improve UTI assessment and antibiotic prescribing appropriateness.

This implementation guide has been drawn from the experiences of homes and champions who have implemented TDONTD, along with feedback from aged care nurses and personal care assistants who have used TDONTD resources.

Author
Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
5: Clinical Care, 4: The Environment
Outcomes
5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services, 4.2: Infection prevention and control
To dip or not to dip implementation guide thumbnail
/quality-standards/hand-hygiene-helping-others-hand-hygiene

Hand Hygiene - Helping others with hand hygiene

Video
Published date

Infection prevention and control helps to stop the spread of germs like bacteria and viruses that cause respiratory infections and gastroenteritis. Hand hygiene is a very important part of this. 

In this video you will learn how to clean another person's hands.

Author
Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
5: Clinical Care, 4: The Environment
Outcomes
5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services, 4.2: Infection prevention and control
Hand hygiene video thumbnail
/quality-standards/your-role-infection-prevention-and-control-when-visiting-aged-care-service

Your role in infection prevention and control when visiting an aged care service

Video
Published date

Infection prevention and control, also known as IPC, are the steps and processes that people can use to reduce the spread of harmful germs and bacteria. 

People who visit aged care services can help support IPC processes.

Author
Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission
Key Theme
Infection prevention and control
Standard
4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
Your role in infection prevention and control video thumbnail
/quality-standards/are-you-alert-and-ready-safeguarding-against-infectious-illness-aged-care-settings

Are you alert and ready? Safeguarding against infectious illness in aged care settings

Fact sheet
Published date

Older Australians, particularly those that reside in residential aged care settings or in multigenerational households, are vulnerable to the ongoing risk of contracting and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 and other highly infectious illnesses such as influenza and gastroenteritis.

Author
Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission
Key Theme
Emergency and disaster management, Infection prevention and control
Standard
2: The Organisation, 4: The Environment, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
2.10: Emergency and disaster management, 4.2: Infection prevention and control, 5.2: Preventing and controlling infections in delivering clinical care services
are you alert and ready thumbnail