Finding an Aged Care Provider
Finding an appropriate age care provider typically involves weighing a number of factors, including cost, geographical proximity to friends and family and the quality of the care and accommodation available.
The first starting point should be the MyAgedCare website, where you can now both find and compare potential providers - with a new rating system having been introduced for the first time in December, 2022. Under the rating system, providers are allocated 1 to 5 stars, defined as follows:
 |
Excellent quality of care |
|
Good quality of care |
|
Acceptable quality of care |
|
Improvement needed |
|
Significant improvement needed |
The star rating system is based on assessing providers quarterly based on four key categories: staffing levels, residents experience, quality measures and compliance. For a short overview of how the system works watch this video on Aged Care Star Ratings.
When the initial ratings were published in December 2022 there was some degree of disappointment expressed in the media, principally around the low overall rankings - only 20 of over 2,500 facilities earned 5 stars overall; although a further 36% earned 4 stars. We in fact view the overall low scores as a positive - our major concern was that the ratings system would prove a "whitewash", with ratings too easy to achieve. In any event, as you can see from the chart below the major stumbling block is staffing - and it may still prove to be the case that high ratings in the three other areas are too easily achievable.
The ratings system is undeniably useful but just a "first filter", nothing replaces an actual physical visit to the facilities and talking to staff and, hopefully, current residents before making any accommodation decision.
And just to provide some indication of what issues give rise to most (formal) complaints in the system see the chart below. Note that the number of complaints is not high, but that most complaints are not made by aged care residents but overwhelmingly by representatives, family members or anonymously.
If you would like to arrange professional advice in relation to the above matters, please complete the Inquiry form below providing details and you will be contacted accordingly. You will receive a fee quotation in advance of any advice or services being provided.