Put in place a human resources management system.

Put in place a pre-employment validation process. This checks that the information job applicants give you about their qualifications, skills and experience are accurate. Include:

• background checks
• processes to verify education and qualifications
• processes to confirm employment history
• reference checks
• competency assessments.

This helps make sure that potential workers have the right skills and experience to deliver safe and quality care and services (Outcome 2.2). It can also confirm if your organisation’s training system can update the person’s skills if needed.

Store this information in line with your information management system (Outcome 2.7). Make sure you store all the information from applicants accurately. That means documents you receive from applicants matches their profile.
 

Put in place strategies to roster workers for quality and safe aged care services.

Rostering needs to be informed by the organisation’s workforce strategy (Outcome 2.8).

When rostering, make sure you:

• consider the skills, number and mix of workers you need to deliver safe and quality care and services. Make sure enough workers are available when older people need more support. For example, during mornings, bedtime and mealtimes. This could also include when responding to high risk or complex situations. For example, when an older person shows signs of deterioration or changed behaviours (Outcome 5.4).
• assign an appropriate number and mix of workers to specific shifts and tasks. Base this on workers’ skills, qualifications and competencies.
• consider worker continuity. This supports a person’s continuity of care (Outcome 3.4). Use direct employment where possible and try to minimise the use of contractors such as agency workers. You can also try to offer shifts to workers who are directly employed first. If you need contractors, aim to roster the same contractors for the older person, unless the older person has asked not to. Complete competency checks for contractors in line with your policies and procedures. Properly induct and monitor the contractor.

Make sure rostering supports the delivery of quality and safe aged care services at all times. Aged care services need to be centred on the needs and preferences of older people (Outcome 3.2). Where possible, include the older person’s input when choosing their worker.

Provide workers with adequate and appropriate supervision, escalation, support and resources. This includes guidance and training on how to deliver quality and safe care.

Monitor and report Quality Indicator data about the turnover of your workers and the reasons for their departure.
 

Put in place a training system.

Develop your training system in consultation with workers and older people. This can include:

• regularly analysing training needs. List the skills needed for each role and what training can build these skills. Make sure training is based on contemporary, evidence-based practice. Make sure training also meets the organisation’s scope of services and the diversity of older people. It’s important to conduct training to fill any competency gaps identified during:
  • hiring activities (Outcome 2.8)
  • broader performance monitoring (Outcome 2.3)
  • assessment of the organisation’s quality and safety culture (Outcome 2.2a and 2.2b).
• putting in place training strategies and a ‘training matrix’ (or equivalent) which lists:
  • all worker role types. For example, care worker, chef, cleaner and administration roles.
  • the training needed for each role type, to help workers perform that role. This will help you determine what training you consider mandatory for your workforce.
• delivering training in line with any identified training needs. This may include training on how workers can:
  • deliver person-centred, rights-based care
  • provide culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed care
  • care for people living with dementia
  • provide palliative and end-of-life care
  • respond to medical emergencies
  • meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Aged Care
  • meet the requirements of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS)
  • meet the requirements of the Quality Standards
  • meet other requirements relevant to their role. For example, an understanding of Infection Prevention and Control, relevant to their role. This includes training for Infection Prevention and Control Leads. This also includes specific training for people who have a formal role in an emergency, such as fire wardens and first aiders (Outcome 2.10).
• reviewing workers’ skills and understanding. After training, include processes to check that workers’ have the right skills and capabilities for their role. This can include competency evaluations and quality assurance. This can also include tracking who has completed training. Make sure that workers can provide quality and safe care for each older person.

Make sure training strategies consider the diversity of your workforce (Outcome 2.8). For example, provide workers with the support they need to take part in and complete training. Training and resources should be accessible for workers with English as a second language and be culturally sensitive. 
 
Keep training records for all workers, including contractors. This includes records that show they have completed training and the competency they need to perform their role. Record this information in line with the organisation’s information management system (Outcome 2.7). You can put in place a system to track workers' licenses and registrations that alerts you when they are about to expire. Make sure workers and others understand the policies and procedures relevant to their role (Outcome 2.7).

Make sure the training system is relevant for and accessible to contractors and employees.
 

Put in place strategies to regularly assess, monitor and review the performance of workers.

Make sure workers are providing quality and safe aged care services. Strategies to monitor workers’ performance can include:

• developing and monitoring performance measures. The performance measures of a worker will depend on their role and responsibilities. For example, positive feedback from older people for carers and hiring targets for administrative workers.
• completing regular performance reviews to an agreed schedule. Consider all monitored performance measures and feedback. Workers should have the opportunity to clarify or provide reasons for any feedback that does not meet their expectations. Make sure performance reviews:
  • fairly assess workers based on feedback provided by older people, other workers, supervisors and people they work with (Outcome 2.6a and 2.6b)
  • provide workers with support in areas identified for improvement in the training needs analysis. This is part of the training system.
  • encourage workers to deliver quality and safe aged care services (Outcome 2.3)
  • consider outcomes from the training system.
• having processes to assess all performance review outcomes. This can help to work out where you can make improvements. Recognise workers with positive outcomes. Develop improvement plans with workers who need to improve. Do this in partnership with the worker. Make sure improvement plans show how the worker can provide quality care and services (Outcome 2.3). Store information about worker performance using your information management system. This will make sure it’s accurate, secure and accessible (Outcome 2.7).
   

Monitor how well your strategies to roster workers for quality and safe aged care services are working.

To check if the workforce resource needs of the organisation are being met:

• talk with workers, older people, their supporters, families and carers
• review older people's aged care service documents (Outcome 3.1)
• review complaints, feedback and incident information (Outcomes 2.6a, 2.6b and 2.5)
• make sure skilled workers are available to deliver safe and quality care and services.

If you find any issues or ways you can improve your rostering address them. If things go wrong, be open about it. Share what went wrong with workers, older people, their supporters and others they may want to involve, such as family, and carers (Outcome 2.3). Put in place strategies to mitigate the risk of things going wrong again.
 

Monitor how well you use your training system.

Regularly review your training system to make sure it works well. Look for ways to improve the system.

To check if workers have the capabilities and access to appropriate supervision, escalation, support and resources they need to perform their role, you can review:

• older people’s aged care service documents (Outcome 3.1)
• complaints and feedback (Outcome 2.6a and 2.6b)
• incident information (Outcome 2.5)
• worker performance and how they’re using the training system. You can do this through quality assurance and system reviews. (Outcome 2.9).
• training records to make sure workers have completed training as needed and in a timely manner
• policies and procedures.

Also, talk with:

• workers to see if they feel supported to:
  • complete their training
  • perform their role well and safely.
• older people, their supporters and others they may want to involve, such as families and carers, about the care and services they receive (Outcome 2.1).

These conversations can help you with continuous improvement actions and planning (Outcome 2.1).

If you find any issues or ways you can improve through your reviews and assessments, you need to address them. If things go wrong, be open about it. Share what went wrong with workers, older people, their supporters and others they may want to involve (Outcome 2.3). Put in place strategies to mitigate the risk of things going wrong again.

The guidance for Outcome 2.3 has more information on monitoring the quality system.