The Commission targets providers failing care minute requirements
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The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is taking decisive action against residential aged care providers consistently falling short of mandatory care minute targets.
Eleven providers operating 27 residential aged care homes have been placed under Enforceable Undertakings after repeatedly missing required care minute standards. The Commission’s initial focus has been on metropolitan services with significant staffing gaps.
“The Commission is being firm and fair with these providers and we are using our regulatory powers to hold them to account,” said outgoing Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson.
Since 1 October 2023, residential aged care homes must deliver mandatory care minutes, with targets increasing to a sector average of 215 minutes per resident per day by October 2024. This includes 44 minutes of registered nurse care.
An Enforceable Undertaking is a legally binding agreement requiring providers to take specific actions, such as immediate recruitment of nursing and care staff. Providers who fail to comply could face court action, sanctions and financial penalties.
“Failure to deliver mandatory care minutes where there is an absence of tangible effort to achieve these targets could lead to sanctions and financial penalties,” Anderson warned. “All residential aged care providers are on notice.”
The action follows recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which introduced new workforce requirements including:
- 24/7 registered nurse staffing on every site from 1 July 2023
- Mandatory care minute targets from 1 October 2023
Providers must report care minutes data quarterly. Those falling significantly short may face further sanctions, including financial penalties, suspension of subsidies, or even loss of approval to provide aged care.
The Commission emphasises its commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of aged care residents through targeted, risk-based regulation.
The mandatory care minutes policy stems from recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which also led to the introduction of 24/7 registered nurse staffing in residential aged care homes. The Commission’s primary objective is to ensure the wellbeing of older people by holding approved providers accountable for meeting their obligations, including mandatory care minutes reporting each quarter.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
