Quality Standards Resource Centre

This guide provides recommendations for dermatological care in older adults, addressing skin integrity, sun damage, bruising, and wound management. It highlights factors affecting skin health, like systemic disease, medication, and environmental exposure. It recommends regular skin assessments, non-pharmacological interventions, moisturisation, and tailored approaches for managing conditions like ulcers, pruritus, and skin cancer in aged care settings.

This guide provides strategies for managing pain in older adults in aged care, focusing on assessment, non-pharmacological treatments, and pharmacological interventions. It includes practice points on appropriate medication use, considerations for pain assessment tools, and recommendations for safe management, including tailored care and treatment monitoring to improve quality of life.

This guide addresses polypharmacy in aged care, focusing on identifying inappropriate prescribing and reviewing all medications, including prescription, over-the-counter and complementary and alternative medicines. It includes recommendations for reducing medication use through deprescribing, ensuring medication safety, and regular review of renal and hepatic functions. Tools such as Beers Criteria and other screening frameworks are provided to support optimal medication management in older adults.

This guide focuses on deprescribing in aged care, aiming to reduce unnecessary or potentially harmful medications. It provides a framework for reviewing medication, assessing risks and benefits, developing tapering plans, and involving multidisciplinary teams. It provides recommendations including; patient-cantered communication, establishing written plans for medication withdrawal, and monitoring outcomes to improve quality of life.

This discussion paper explores strategies to improve medication management in aged care, including reducing inappropriate prescriptions and promoting non-pharmacological interventions. It reviews current interventions' effectiveness, highlights the use of psychotropic medications, and identifies areas for improving practices through multifaceted and multidisciplinary approaches for better resident outcomes and healthcare quality. 

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. 

This resource provides guidance for preventing falls and harm from falls in older people in 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.

This resource provides tools and guidance for aged care providers to ensure quality food, nutrition, and dining experiences. It includes hotlines, resources for dining, choice, swallowing, and oral health, as well as webinars, research findings, and practical tips to support older adults' wellbeing and meet care standards. 

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.

This resource is a guide for consumers about the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's Psychotropic Medicines in Cognitive Disability or Impairment Clinical Care Standard.  The resource includes 8 quality statements about the health care consumers should receive to support the correct use of psychotropic medicines. 

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.

This collection of resources is related to the guiding principles for medication management.The guiding principles aim to promote the quality use of medicines when moving between different health care settings and health care providers. The collection includes the guiding principles and the corresponding glossary, user guide and fact sheet. This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of 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.

This handbook provides tools to support medicine management in multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The Department of Health and Aged Care commissioned the University of South Australia to develop the handbook. 

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.

This resource outlines Australia’s National Oral Health Plan 2015-2024, aiming to improve oral health and reduce inequalities. It includes strategic directions, guiding principles, foundation areas for action, and focus on priority populations. It addresses access to services, workforce development, safety, quality, promotion, and integrated health systems to enhance overall wellbeing. 

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.

This resource provides information on how to report adverse events, side effects, or problems related to medicines, vaccines, and medical devices. It includes reporting procedures and information for consumers, health professionals, and industry, aiming to enhance safety and address breaches or non-compliant advertising. 

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.

This resource supports health practitioners in managing medicines through the use of medication charts in aged care facilities and hospitals. It provides guidelines for safe prescribing, administration, and communication. The resource includes both paper-based and electronic medication chart systems to reduce errors, improve patient safety, and streamline medication management processes in aged care 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.

This resource informs older Australians about their rights and choices regarding medication, including potential side effects, the importance of informed decision-making, and reducing unnecessary antibiotic and psychotropic use. It offers brochures, videos, and fact sheets to support understanding and provide guidance on alternative treatments and safe medication practices. 

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. 

This resource provides information on medication management in aged care, focusing on psychotropics and antimicrobials. It includes tools for reducing inappropriate use, antimicrobial stewardship guidance, self-assessment resources, and quality bulletins. It aims to improve medication safety, prevent inappropriate prescribing, and support care providers in ensuring safe clinical practices.

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. 

This is a presentation on Polypharmacy Consumer Perspective. It includes details of a case example, resolution and care management, and key principles related to medicines and goal of 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.

This resource outlines the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medication chart's maximum duration in residential aged care. It explains the use of both paper-based and electronic National Residential Medication Charts (NRMC), highlighting their role in managing prescriptions, medication supply, and administration. The document provides guidance on compliance, chart expiry, and medication safety within aged care facilities. 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.

This resource provides recommendations for oral health care in adult inpatients, focusing on preventing issues like aspiration pneumonia, infections, and malnutrition. It emphasises regular oral assessments and evidence-based care practices. Its principles are applicable in aged care settings to enhance overall care. 

Please consider the applicability of this resource to your care setting. 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.

This resource outlines the roles and qualifications of dental professionals, including dentists, hygienists, and prosthetists, and their responsibilities in patient care. It emphasises the importance of registration, adherence to standards, and compliance monitoring to prevent fraud in Medicare billing and prescribing practices. 

This webpage provides resources to help improve communication, care and support for people who are deaf, Deaf, hard of hearing, or who experience hearing loss. It includes 3 tools: Everyday Communication, Inclusive Healthcare, and Building Competency. There are also links to other relevant resources.