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.
Preventing urinary tract infections: recognise dehydration poster
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.
IPC Self assessment checklists
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.
To Dip or Not to Dip - Implementation Guide for Nurse and Pharmacist Champions
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.
Hand Hygiene - Helping others with hand hygiene
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.
Your role in infection prevention and control when visiting an aged care service
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.
Are you alert and ready? Safeguarding against infectious illness in aged care settings
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.
Partnerships in care – Partner information package
The partner information pack presents information for all people visiting and volunteering in residential aged care services. The resource includes information on the importance of infection prevention and control (IPC), the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and changes in what you need to do if you visit during an outbreak.
To Dip or Not to Dip in Australian residential aged care services - project findings
This visual abstract presents outcomes from a quality improvement project aimed at reducing low-value urine dipstick testing in aged care services. It included nurse education, implementing clinical pathways for UTI identification, and evaluating urinalysis practices and antibiotic prescribing. The findings demonstrate improved antibiotic prescribing appropriateness for UTIs over a 6-month follow-up period.
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.
To Dip or Not to Dip - huddle tool A3 poster
This huddle tool poster provides guidance on appropriate use of urine dipstick tests in older adults. It explains that asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is common and not harmful, but that unnecessary antibiotic treatment can be. It suggests confirming urinary tract infections (UTIs) through clinical symptoms rather than dipstick results.
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.
Visiting an aged care home during an outbreak - A3 poster
This A3 poster can be used by aged care facilities during an outbreak. It explains the key things for partners in care to remember when visiting an aged care home during an outbreak.
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.
Infection Prevention and Control Leads: Updates for providers
This fact sheet provides updated information for providers of aged care on effective infection prevention and control capability. This is critical to the safe, effective delivery of personal and clinical care in aged care. This is particularly the case during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
Outbreak Management Plan - stress testing outline
Having a comprehensive and organisation-specific outbreak management plan (OMP) helps your organisation to be prepared for the management of infections and outbreaks within your service. A key part of this readiness is ensuring that your OMP is fit-for-purpose and that everyone across the organisation can implement it if required. One way to maintain readiness and support continuous improvement of your OMP is to run regular drills, or stress tests, of your plan.
Dealing with infectious outbreaks
This resource provides guidance for aged care providers on managing infectious outbreaks. It includes information on visitor access, visitor restrictions, and innovative practices to maintain residents' health and safety. It also covers essential steps for visitors to take to protect themselves and residents during outbreaks.
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.
Food, nutrition & dining: resources for providers
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.
Supporting visitors and partners in care with IPC
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.
IPC location-based guidance
This resource provides infection prevention and control (IPC) location-based guidance tailored for aged care providers. It includes state and territory-specific IPC requirements and offers links to relevant Commonwealth and local guidance. The document helps providers access and prioritise the appropriate IPC information to maintain compliance with regulations.
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.
IPC resource collection
This is an Infection and Prevention Control (IPC) resource tool. This tool can be used by both residential and home care providers to access key pieces of information and reference materials on infection prevention and control. The tool provides access to specific information by selecting a relevant topic and sub-topic.
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.
Partnerships in Care Agreement – Sample
This resource is a sample of what a partner agreement might look like. It can be used as a template. This document has been created to support aged care providers and individuals where all parties would like to put an agreement in place.
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.
Outbreak Management Plan - key features
Outbreak management planning is a key part of infection prevention and control. This document supports both the development of a new outbreak management plan (OMP) and the quality assurance of existing plans. It details common OMP sections to get you started as you tailor your OMP to your service.
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.
User guide to the Clinical Pathway for older people in aged care homes: suspected urinary tract infections
This user guide relates to the 'Clinical Pathway for older people in aged care homes: suspected urinary tract infections (UTIs)'.