Quality Standards Resource Centre

This guide focuses on collaboration and multidisciplinary care for older adults, particularly in residential aged care. It outlines the benefits of team-based care, effective team structures, shared goals, defined roles, building trust, communication, and measurable processes to improve health outcomes. It provides practical tips for effective teamwork and highlights the importance of coordinating care among various healthcare professionals.

This resource explains the purpose of a goals of care document, which outlines a person’s medical treatment goals and end of life care preferences. It describes how healthcare providers create and upload these documents to health records, supporting informed decision-making and access to care preferences.

This resource provides actions for health service organisations to support clinical assessment and diagnosis, promoting a person-centred approach and comprehensive care planning. It highlights training, clear communication of roles, and systems for documenting diagnoses and care plans. 

This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of aged 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 provides actions for health service organisations to support clinical assessment and diagnosis, promoting a person-centred approach and comprehensive care planning. It highlights training, clear communication of roles, and systems for documenting diagnoses and care plans. 

This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of aged 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 guides providers in identifying and setting goals of care with patients through shared decision-making. It fosters collaboration between patients, family, and healthcare teams to clarify expectations and establish personalised clinical and personal care objectives.

This resource may apply to healthcare contexts outside of aged 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 actions for health service organisations to review and improve comprehensive care delivery, focusing on aligning care with patients' needs and care plans. It emphasises regular assessment, multidisciplinary collaboration, and quality improvement to maintain responsive, person-centred care across services. 

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.

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.

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 consensus statement outlines essential elements for recognising and responding to acute physiological deterioration in healthcare settings. It covers clinical processes like vital signs monitoring, diagnosis, and rapid response systems, as well as organisational aspects such as leadership, education, and evaluation. It provides generic information that can be applied to the aged 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 guide discusses multiculturalism in aged care, addressing the diverse needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) older adults. It covers healthcare principles, communication strategies, clinical considerations, and culturally tailored approaches for areas like medication management, dementia, mental health, nutrition, and substance use. It also provides practical advice for general practitioners, carers, and aged care facilities to deliver culturally safe and effective care.

This guide addresses barriers faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in accessing aged care, such as cultural safety, geographic challenges, and geriatric syndromes experienced at younger ages. It discusses the importance of culturally appropriate care, the use of specific assessment tools, and the unique needs of the Stolen Generation within residential and community settings.

This guide discusses strategies for supporting independent living in older adults, covering concepts of healthy ageing, using aged care services, respite care, and re-aligning function. It highlights the role of general practitioners in promoting autonomy, addressing individual needs, and avoiding ageist language while facilitating access to community or residential care services.

This guide addresses the management of disabilities in older adults, including mobility, cognitive impairments, developmental disabilities, hearing and visual impairment, psychiatric conditions, and neurodegenerative disorders. It outlines approaches for general practitioners to provide holistic care, monitor health risks, adapt support systems, and coordinate with allied health professionals in residential aged care settings.

This guide addresses the healthcare needs of older LGBTI people, covering areas such as mental health, substance use, chronic disease risks, and the importance of inclusive care. It provides strategies for culturally safe practices, promoting wellbeing, recognising abuse, and details standards for LGBTI-inclusive services, such as organisational capability and consumer participation.

This document provides guidance on implementing the clinical assessment and diagnosis element of the Comprehensive Care Standard (National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards). It helps clinicians identify a person’s conditions or needs through examination and investigation. The resource supports safe, patient-centred care, improving diagnostic accuracy and promoting teamwork 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.

This resource outlines the key actions for health service organisations to deliver comprehensive care. It ensures care is provided continuously and collaboratively, aligning with the patient’s diagnoses, goals, and care plan. It promotes a person-centred, multidisciplinary approach, with staff training to support comprehensive care delivery. Applicable to multiple 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.

This resource provides guidance for reviewing and improving comprehensive care delivery. It outlines how to assess if care meets clinical and personal needs, mitigates risks, and achieves intended outcomes. Relevant to aged care, it helps clinicians and managers implement continuous quality improvement in care delivery processes. 

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 guide outlines anticipatory care planning for older adults, focusing on proactive and person-centred approaches. It details triggers for care planning, identifying vulnerability, medication management, and the use of 'as needed' (PRN) medicines for various conditions like allergic reactions, asthma, diabetes, falls, and palliative care. It includes specific recommendations for developing individualised care plans and appropriate interventions for maintaining health and quality of life.

This guide discusses providing aged care in rural and remote communities, focusing on the unique needs of older residents, the role of GPs in care coordination, and overcoming challenges like limited services and workforce shortages. It covers building telehealth connections, establishing collaborative care models, and offers a checklist for newly arrived GPs to support quality care for older adults.