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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 While we complete updating of our website, including draft guidance and other materials, to align with the new laws, providers are advised to refer to the new Act and Rules for any required clarification of their obligations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 1 to 20 of 81 result(s)
/quality-standards/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-discussion-starter-working-out-whats-right-you

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Discussion Starter – Working Out What’s Right For You

Guidance
Published date

This resource includes information and tools to support thinking and talking about wishes and preferences for care at the end of life. This resource has been developed for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, their community, and those working with them. The resource also includes information about identifying decision makers and advance care planning.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Palliative and end of life care
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Discussion Starter – Working Out What’s Right For You
/quality-standards/palliaged-practice-centre

palliAGED - Practice Centre

Guidance

This resource provides information for care workers about palliative care. The Practice Centre provides links to, and information about, tools and resources to use in practice and improve care and outcomes in palliative care. It includes sections on improving practice, symptoms, medicines and tipsheets.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Palliative and end of life care, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
palliAGED - Practice Centre
/quality-standards/palliative-care-australia

Palliative Care Australia

Guidance

This resource is the Palliative Care Australia website. The website contains targeted guidance and resources for service providers and health care professionals. The resource also includes information about the National Palliative Care Standards, which provide guidance on best practice palliative care in different settings.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Palliative and end of life care
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Palliative Care Australia
/quality-standards/palliaged-evidence-centre

palliAGED - Evidence Centre

Guidance

This resource provides evidence-based information for the healthcare sector about palliative care. It includes evidence summaries on topics related to palliative care, such as advance care planning, advocacy, care coordination, goals of care, nutrition and needs assessment.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Palliative and end of life care, Food and nutrition
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
palliAGED - Evidence Centre
/quality-standards/end-life-directions-aged-care

End of Life Directions for Aged Care

Guidance

This resource is the ELDAC (End of Life Directions for Aged Care) website. It provides information, guidance and resources for aged care providers and staff supporting palliative care and advance care planning. Information can be accessed by selecting a topic from the ELDAC care model, for example, providing palliative care, responding to deterioration and bereavement. Information can also be filtered using search functions such as role type, quick links, resource type and keywords. 

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Palliative and end of life care
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
End of Life Directions for Aged Care
/quality-standards/part-3-aged-care-rights-and-principles

Part 3 - Aged care rights and principles

Guidance

This resource is available on the Parliament of Australia website. It includes information about aged care rights and principles, including the Statement of Rights. The Statement of Rights outlines the rights that older people will have when accessing aged care services.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Dignity, respect and privacy
Standard
1: The Individual
Outcomes
1.2: Dignity, respect and privacy
Part 3 - Aged care rights and principles
/quality-standards/tailored-model-palliative-care-people-intellectual-disability

Tailored model of palliative care for people with intellectual disability

Guidance
Published date

This model provides a framework for delivering tailored palliative care for people with intellectual disabilities, aiming for equitable access across various care settings. Supporting toolkits offer resources for health professionals and families to enhance communication and collaborative care.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Palliative and end of life care
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Tailored model of palliative care for people with intellectual disability
/quality-standards/improving-palliative-care-toolkit-health-professionals

Improving palliative care - Toolkit for health professionals

Guidance
Published date

This toolkit supports health professionals in delivering palliative care for people with intellectual disabilities by providing resources, guidance on communication, and tailored care strategies. It aims to enhance service quality through understanding specific needs and collaborative care planning.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Delivering comprehensive care and services, Palliative and end of life care
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.2: Delivery of funded aged care services, 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Improving palliative care - Toolkit for health professionals
/quality-standards/palliative-aged-care-outcomes-program-resources

Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program - Resources

Guidance

This resource offers tools and guidelines for palliative care outcome measurement, including assessment scales for symptom severity, frailty, and daily living activities. It supports clinicians and managers in implementing standardised data collection to improve care quality in aged care settings.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Palliative and end of life care
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program - Resources
/quality-standards/good-spirit-good-life-quality-life-framework

Good Spirit Good Life - a Quality of life framework

Guidance

This resource describes the Good Spirit Good Life (GSGL) framework for assessing the quality of life of older Aboriginal people, focusing on culturally important factors such as connection to Country, family, and spirituality. It includes tools for both self-reporting and carer-assisted reporting.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Person-centred care, Dignity, respect and privacy, Assessment and planning
Standard
1: The Individual, 3: The Care and Services
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 1.2: Dignity, respect and privacy, 3.1 Assessment and planning
Good Spirit Good Life - a Quality of life framework
/quality-standards/working-older-people

Working with older people

Guidance

This resource offers guidance for working respectfully with older people, challenging stereotypes and promoting their rights to independence, dignity, and fair access to services. It emphasises communication strategies, recognising decision-making capacity, and understanding diverse needs across different groups.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Dignity, respect and privacy
Standard
1: The Individual
Outcomes
1.2: Dignity, respect and privacy
Working with older people
/quality-standards/elder-abuse-prevention

Elder Abuse Prevention

Guidance

This resource provides community education and awareness programmes to prevent elder abuse, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse seniors. It includes bilingual training for community educators, in-language resources, and guidance for recognising and addressing elder abuse through culturally appropriate methods.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Dignity, respect and privacy
Standard
1: The Individual
Outcomes
1.2: Dignity, respect and privacy
Elder Abuse Prevention
/quality-standards/standardised-care-processes

Standardised care processes

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource offers evidence-based standardised care processes for aged care providers, covering high-risk clinical areas such as falls, pain, incontinence, and dehydration. It provides structured guidelines to support best practices, ensuring consistent and safe care for older people in residential settings.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Medication management, Clinical safety, Delivering comprehensive care and services, Palliative and end of life care, Food and nutrition
Standard
5: Clinical Care, 6: Food and Nutrition
Outcomes
5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  , 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care, 6.2: Assessment of nutritional needs and preferences, 6.3: Provision of food and drinks
Standardised care processes
/quality-standards/participating-consumers

Participating with consumers

Fact sheet
Last Updated

This resource provides information sheets for residents, families, and carers to support decision-making in residential aged care. Covering topics such as pain management, falls, and medicines, it promotes health literacy, enabling consumers to engage in discussions and report care issues effectively.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Assessment and planning, Care coordination and transitions, Medication management, Clinical safety, Delivering comprehensive care and services, Palliative and end of life care
Standard
3: The Care and Services, 5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
3.1 Assessment and planning, 3.4: Planning and coordination of funded aged care services, 5.3: Safe and quality use of medicines, 5.5: Safety of clinical care services, 5.6 Cognitive impairment  , 5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Participating with consumers
/quality-standards/maintaining-personal-identity

Maintaining personal identity

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource offers guidance on maintaining personal identity for people with dementia by fostering respect, independence, and communication. It suggests environmental and social modifications to enhance dignity, such as personalising spaces, supporting mobility, and addressing unmet needs.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation, and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Person-centred care, Dignity, respect and privacy, Choice, independence and quality of life
Standard
1: The Individual
Outcomes
1.1: Person-centred care, 1.2: Dignity, respect and privacy, 1.3: Choice, independence and quality of life
Maintaining personal identity
/quality-standards/bedrooms-and-privacy

Bedrooms and privacy

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource offers guidance on maintaining personal identity for people with dementia by fostering respect, independence, and communication. It suggests environmental and social modifications to enhance dignity, such as personalising spaces, supporting mobility, and addressing unmet needs.

This resource was developed by a state/territory government or organisation, and therefore its applicability and usefulness may be limited.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Dignity, respect and privacy, Environment, Delivering comprehensive care and services
Standard
1: The Individual, 4: The Environment, 7: The Residential Community
Outcomes
1.2: Dignity, respect and privacy, 4.1b: Environment – services delivered other than in the individual’s home, 7.1: Daily living
Bedrooms and privacy
/quality-standards/informed-consent-health-direct

Informed consent - Health Direct

Guidance
Last Updated

This resource explains the legal requirements and processes for obtaining informed consent for medical treatments, procedures, and care. It is relevant to aged care by ensuring that people understand their healthcare options, risks, and benefits, supporting their ability to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Choice, independence and quality of life, Assessment and planning, Care coordination and transitions
Standard
1: The Individual, 3: The Care and Services, 7: The Residential Community
Outcomes
1.3: Choice, independence and quality of life, 3.1 Assessment and planning, 7.2: Transitions
Informed consent
/quality-standards/program-experience-palliative-approach-pepa

Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA)

Guidance

This page provides resources about palliative care for health professionals. The education resources support placement and workshop learning, but can be used for self-directed learning.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Palliative and end of life care
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA)
/quality-standards/communication-matters

Communication Matters

Video
Published date

This You Tube video emphasises the importance of communication for people in aged care, especially those with impairments. It advocates using varied methods, such as gestures and expressions, to make sure everyone can connect meaningfully, supporting dignity and autonomy.

Author
External resource
Key Theme
Choice, independence and quality of life
Standard
1: The Individual
Outcomes
1.3: Choice, independence and quality of life
Communication Matters
/quality-standards/national-consensus-statement-essential-elements-safe-and-high-quality-end-life-care

National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care

Report
Published date

This resource outlines the National Consensus Statement on essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care in Australia. It provides guiding principles, care processes, and organisational processes, focusing on person-centred communication, multidisciplinary collaboration, and culturally appropriate care. The statement is designed for healthcare workers, service executives, and policy makers to enhance end-of-life care delivery. 

Author
Australian Commission On Safety And Quality In Health Care
Key Theme
Palliative and end of life care
Standard
5: Clinical Care
Outcomes
5.7: Palliative care and end-of-life care
National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care