Quality Standards Resource Centre

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 provides an overview of standard and transmission-based precautions, including personal protective equipment (PPE) use and patient placement requirements. It helps healthcare providers minimise infection risks by guiding appropriate PPE selection and patient placement based on local risk assessments, ensuring safe and effective infection prevention practices 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 highlights the importance of environmentally sustainable infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in healthcare. It covers fundamental practices such as hand hygiene and sustainable glove use, providing guidance on reducing environmental impact while maintaining safety and quality. It also links to relevant IPC guidelines for 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 fact sheet provides guidance on using the hierarchy of controls with infection prevention systems to manage infection risks. It outlines strategies such as elimination, isolation, engineering controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to help aged care providers maintain infection control and ensure safe care environments. 

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 on how technology, such as virtual reality (VR) and mobile applications, can enhance the dining experience in aged care settings. These tools are designed to increase engagement, support meal choices, improve communication with families, and contribute to overall wellbeing by making mealtimes more enjoyable. 

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 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.

This fact sheet provides guidance on validating infection surveillance data. It supports infection control teams in ensuring data accuracy and completeness, essential for effective infection control strategies. The resource outlines steps for both manual and automated validation methods and includes a checklist for common 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 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 document explains the Healthcare Identifier Service, a national system for assigning unique healthcare identifiers to individuals, providers, and healthcare organisations. The service aims to improve patient safety, ensure accurate records, and facilitate secure data sharing across health, aged care, and allied health services. It includes privacy measures and public consultation outcomes for potential legislative improvements. 

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 offers guidance for aged care providers on supporting visitors and partners in care through infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. It includes training resources to help visitors follow IPC protocols and maintain safe care, especially during infectious outbreaks, through the 'Partnerships in Care' program. 

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 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.

This resource provides guidance on high-risk medicines, including safety alerts, notices, and best practices for safe prescribing, dispensing, and administration. It includes information on insulin and anticoagulant safety, monitoring tools, and best practice recommendations to improve medication safety and reduce harm from high-risk medications across 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 collection includes guidance on infection prevention and control practices endorsed by the Infection Prevention and Control Expert Group (ICEG). It supports health and aged care providers with best practices related to COVID-19, personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning, disinfection, and minimising transmission risks in institutional and community 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 guidance for aged care services on how to support people living with dementia to eat and drink well. It highlights innovative approaches such as creating familiar, enjoyable meals, reducing mealtime interruptions, and offering 24-hour access to nutritious foods. These strategies help address challenges like malnutrition and dehydration. 

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 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.

This resource outlines recommended immunisations for healthcare workers, emphasising the importance of vaccination to prevent disease transmission to vulnerable populations. It lists vaccines such as Hepatitis B, Influenza, MMR, Pertussis, and Varicella, and highlights more requirements for workers in specific settings or with higher risks of exposure. 

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 page highlights the role of speech pathologists in supporting older people with communication, eating, drinking, and swallowing difficulties. It provides resources for aged care providers on how to improve care quality through effective communication tools and tailored strategies. This resource includes practical examples, like sample plates and picture boards, for enhancing dining experiences and supporting individual choice. 

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 offers guidelines for preventing Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (SABSI) in healthcare settings. It covers infection control strategies, including hand hygiene, device management, and surgical site care, helping organisations reduce infection risks and comply with national SABSI prevention 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 provides fact sheets for consumers and carers on infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene and healthcare-associated infections. It covers common infections such as MRSA, CPE, and CDI, offering guidance on prevention, treatment, and risk factors to help reduce the spread of infections 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 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.