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.
Gwandalan – Supporting Palliative Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
This resource provides culturally appropriate palliative care education and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It includes resources, videos, and training materials aimed at improving understanding, communication, and care practices in end-of-life care, integrating cultural beliefs and values to enhance quality care for Indigenous Australians.
Palliative care knowledge network
This resource provides evidence-based information and resources on palliative care for health professionals, patients and carers. It covers clinical practice, education, research, and service delivery. The platform aims to improve understanding, decision-making, and quality of care for people with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
RACGP aged care clinical guide (Silver Book) - Part A - Palliative and end-of-life care
This guide focuses on palliative and end-of-life care, detailing general principles, illness trajectories, the role of general practitioners, and practical recommendations for patient-cantered care. It provides consensus-based guidelines for initiating advance care planning, symptom management, team-based end-of-life care, medication use, and supporting both patients and their families. It includes information on the transition from chronic disease treatment to a palliative approach and includes tools for clinical decision-making.
RACGP aged care clinical guide (Silver Book) - Part B - Palliative care approach
This guide outlines a palliative care approach for patients with life-limiting conditions, focusing on improving quality of life through early assessment, pain relief, and addressing psychosocial and spiritual needs. It describes the role of general practitioners in delivering person-centred care, engaging families, and ensuring collaborative, holistic support in both residential aged care and community settings.
How to navigate transitions in care
This resource offers tools and strategies for navigating care transitions for people living with dementia. It provides support to hospital, aged care staff, and family carers, ensuring that the unique needs of those with dementia are met during transitions, such as moving from hospital to aged care or home.
Advance care planning - Information for clinicians
This resource guides clinicians on the importance of advance care planning, particularly for those with life-limiting illnesses, chronic conditions, or cognitive impairment. It outlines the need for early conversations about patient preferences and comprehensive care, ensuring decisions are documented, shared, and align with clinical handover processes to respect patient autonomy and improve care outcomes.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
End-of-life care - Last days of life
This resource provides guidance on end-of-life care during the last days of life, relevant for aged care settings. It focuses on maintaining comfort, managing symptoms, and reducing unnecessary interventions. Clinicians are supported in offering compassionate care, addressing potential emergencies, and involving family members while ensuring that older people are treated with dignity during their final days.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
End-of-life care - clinical basics
This resource provides key actions for clinicians delivering end-of-life care. It highlights the shift from curative to palliative approaches, emphasising communication, patient dignity, symptom management, medication review, and decision-making. It includes strategies for managing common symptoms and minimising risks to ensure safe, high-quality care in the last days of life.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Fact sheet - Principles of safe and high-quality transitions of care
This resource outlines the principles for safe and high-quality transitions of care, emphasising person-centred care, multidisciplinary collaboration, and effective communication. It highlights the need for secure documentation, continuity of care, and coordination among healthcare teams to make sure smooth transitions and minimise risks during transfers between care providers.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
What we’re doing about palliative care
This resource outlines the Australian Government’s strategies, initiatives, and research for improving palliative care. It details the National Palliative Care Strategy, workforce training, and key programs such as at-home and aged care measures. It also highlights the National Framework for Advance Care Planning, ensuring access to quality palliative care across Australia.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Frequently asked questions about consent
This fact sheet covers the frequently asked questions about consent in aged care.
Communication at clinical handover
This resource focuses on structured clinical handover processes to improve communication during patient care transitions. It highlights the importance of standardising handover procedures to make sure relevant information is effectively communicated, reducing errors and enhancing patient safety, especially during care transfers in healthcare settings, including aged care.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Communicating for Safety
This resource provides tools and guidance on improving clinical communication to enhance patient safety. It focuses on key communication touchpoints, such as handovers, decision-making, and care transitions. Designed to support healthcare providers, it offers practical strategies to reduce errors and improve outcomes in aged care and other healthcare settings.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Delivering and supporting comprehensive end-of-life care user guide
This guide provides practical strategies for health service organisations and clinicians to deliver comprehensive end-of-life care. It aligns with the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, focusing on patient-centred communication, care components, triggers for recognising end-of-life, and organisational support through leadership, education, and evaluation.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Transitioning to Residential Aged Care: Loss and Grief
This resource explores the emotional impact of transitioning into residential aged care, focusing on loss and grief experienced by older people and their families. It highlights the common emotional challenges, such as fear, loss of independence, and guilt, and provides strategies to support emotional well-being during this difficult transition.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Transitions of Care
This resource explains transitions of care, when responsibility for a person’s health care is transferred between providers. It covers the risks involved, such as medication errors and readmissions, and offers principles for safe and high-quality transitions across care settings, including aged care, to reduce harm and improve outcomes. This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
How Home Care Packages interact with other aged care programs
This resource explains how Home Care Packages interact with other aged care programs, such as the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, residential respite care, and the Transition Care Programme. It outlines how to coordinate services to avoid overlaps and provides guidance for accessing multiple programs without service duplication.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Short Term Restorative Care Program
This resource outlines the Short Term Restorative Care (STRC) Program which offers early interventions aimed at reversing or slowing functional decline in older people to enhance their wellbeing. It provides care for up to 8 weeks in home or residential settings, helping people regain independence. STRC is part of a broader care system, alongside other aged care services.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
Privacy and confidentiality – Introduction to aged care video
This resource is a training video guiding aged care staff on the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality for people receiving care. It covers protecting personal information, proper handling of sensitive data, and safe sharing practices, aiming to make sure clients feel secure in sharing information.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program
This resource provides information on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program. The program funds flexible and culturally appropriate aged care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, mainly in rural and remote areas. It covers service provider requirements, funding processes, and adaptations to ongoing aged care reforms.
This resource may refer to information that will be updated from 1 November 2025 to align with the new Aged Care Act and Quality Standards.