Medication Management For Home Care Staff

What are the new Quality Standards for Home Care and how will it affect me as a Home Care Provider?

In response to The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s final report, the Department of Health and Aged Care is working towards implementing Quality Standards into home care. The Home Care Quality Standards will call for an increase in home care’s focus on clinical care.

Under the proposed framework, all providers of Australian Government subsidised aged care services, including providers in receipt of Commonwealth Home Support Program funding and Home Care Package Providers, will be audited against the Quality Standards and compliance will be graded against those standards.

It is proposed that the new rights-based Aged Care Act will include both a Statement of Rights of consumers and a definition of ‘high quality care’. It is suggested that ‘high quality care’ will be taken to mean care and services provided to individuals that prioritise:

• delivery of services with compassion and respect for the individuality, life experiences, self-determination and dignity of a person accessing care, and their quality of life;
• providing services that are trauma-aware and healing-informed and responsive to the person’s expressed personal needs, aspirations, and their preferences regarding how services are delivered to them;
• facilitating regular clinical and non-clinical reviews to ensure that the services delivered continue to reflect their individual needs;
• supporting the person to enhance their physical and cognitive capacities and mental health where possible; and
• supporting the person to participate in cultural, recreational and social activities and remain connected and able to contribute to their community.

In considering the regulatory framework that is needed to ensure the delivery of high-quality care, the Department proposes that its new model will focus on building and strengthening relationships between the providers and older people, the Regulator and providers, and older people and the Regulator.