--- title: National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program topic: quality-indicator-program type: HG Reference jurisdiction: Australia (national) lastReviewed: 2026-05-22 publisher: Holistic Governance publisherUrl: https://hg-au.com canonicalUrl: https://hg-au.com/topics/quality-indicator-program.md --- # National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) > The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) is the mandatory data collection and reporting program for Commonwealth-subsidised residential aged care providers, with expansion underway to Support at Home. Providers must collect, validate, and report a defined set of quality indicators on a quarterly basis. QI data feeds into Star Ratings, Departmental performance monitoring, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's risk-based regulation. ## What it is The QI Program is operationalised through the *National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program Manual* (currently Manual 4.0). The Manual defines: - Each indicator (name, scope, inclusion and exclusion criteria, data items, calculation method). - The collection methodology, including assessment tools, sampling rules, timing, and required validation. - Submission requirements, including format, frequency, and the Government portal used. - Publication arrangements, including how indicator data feeds into Star Ratings on My Aged Care. The intent of the QI Program is twofold: drive measurable improvement in outcomes that matter to older people, and provide the public and regulator with comparable, transparent performance information. ## Statutory basis - **Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth)** — registration obligations include compliance with the QI Program for in-scope providers. - **Aged Care Rules 2025** and Departmental instruments — mandate the collection and submission of QI data. - **National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program Manual** (current version 4.0) — operational specification. ## Who it applies to - All Commonwealth-subsidised residential aged care providers. - Expansion to Support at Home and other home-based services is being progressively rolled out under the new Act and Rules. ## Indicators (Manual 4.0) The indicator set under Manual 4.0 covers the domains of clinical care, function, dignity, and consumer voice. The exact indicator list, definitions, and inclusion/exclusion criteria are set in the Manual and should always be confirmed against the current version. Indicators in scope include: - **Pressure injuries** — prevalence and stage. - **Physical restraint** — use of physical restraint. - **Unplanned weight loss** — significant or consecutive unplanned weight loss. - **Falls and major injury** — falls and falls resulting in major injury. - **Medication management** — polypharmacy and antipsychotic prescription. - **Activities of daily living (Personal Independence / ADL function)** — decline in ADL function. - **Incontinence care** — incontinence-associated dermatitis. - **Hospitalisation** — emergency department presentations and hospitalisations. - **Workforce** — staff turnover. - **Consumer experience** — using a recognised consumer experience instrument. - **Quality of life** — using a recognised quality-of-life instrument. Indicator definitions, calculations, and reporting expectations are detailed in the QI Program Manual. Providers should align internal data collection precisely to the Manual's specification. ## Collection and submission - **Frequency** — quarterly. - **Submission** — via the Government Provider Portal (formerly known as the My Aged Care provider portal) on a defined quarterly schedule. - **Validation** — providers are expected to validate data prior to submission; the Department conducts validation queries and data quality monitoring. - **Sampling and timing** — defined in the Manual (e.g., pressure injury assessments at defined points, ADL assessments using validated tools at defined intervals). - **Workforce data** — sourced from payroll and roster data, defined in the Manual. - **Consumer experience and quality of life** — collected using prescribed instruments, on a prescribed cadence. ## Publication and use - **Star Ratings** — QI data is one of the four Star Rating sub-components on My Aged Care, alongside Compliance, Staffing (care minutes), and Resident Experience. - **Departmental monitoring** — QI trends inform Departmental performance monitoring and policy review. - **Commissioner risk-based regulation** — the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission uses QI data alongside compliance history, incidents, complaints, and other intelligence in its risk-based regulatory model. - **Provider continuous improvement** — providers are expected to use their QI data to identify improvement priorities and act on them, rather than treating QI submission as a compliance ritual. ## Common provider gaps - **Data quality variance** — internal assessments and the QI definitions are not aligned; quarterly submissions show variance that can trigger Department queries. - **QI as compliance, not improvement** — data is submitted but not used to drive improvement priorities, action plans, or board-level oversight. - **Workforce QI inaccuracies** — turnover and roster data not reconciled to payroll and roster systems in a way that meets Manual definitions. - **Consumer experience and quality of life instruments under-utilised** — collected because they are required, not interpreted as a sentinel of resident experience. - **Star Rating drag from QI sub-component** — QI sub-component pulls down overall rating but improvement focus is on other inputs. - **Board reporting gap** — QI data is reported up to the executive but not summarised in a way that supports board-level governance. - **Cross-indicator analysis missing** — providers track each indicator in isolation rather than as part of a clinical and resident-experience pattern. ## How Holistic Governance supports providers - **QI data quality audit** — assessment of internal data collection methods against Manual 4.0 definitions, with remediation actions. - **QI improvement program design** — connecting QI data to continuous improvement actions, owners, and timeframes. - **Star Ratings strategy** — identifying which QI sub-components are dragging on Star Rating and prioritising actions. - **Board QI reporting** — converting raw QI data into a board-ready performance lens, including benchmarks, trends, and improvement actions. - **Cross-indicator analysis** — identifying clinical and experience patterns across indicators rather than reading each in isolation. - **Power BI QI dashboards** — quarterly performance, peer benchmarks, trend analysis, and action tracking, integrated with incident, complaint, and workforce data. - **Workforce data integration** — reconciling payroll, roster, and HR data to QI workforce indicator definitions. - **Consumer experience and quality of life** — supporting providers to use the prescribed instruments as genuine insight tools, not compliance checkboxes. ## Official sources - Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Quality Indicator Program: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/aged-care - Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au - My Aged Care — Star Ratings: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au - Federal Register of Legislation — https://www.legislation.gov.au ## Glossary - **QI Program Manual** — the Department-published manual that defines the indicators, methodology, and submission requirements. - **Star Ratings** — the My Aged Care public rating system for residential aged care, with four sub-components: Compliance, Staffing (care minutes), Resident Experience, and Quality Measures (QI). - **Polypharmacy** — concurrent use of multiple medications, defined in the Manual for QI purposes. - **Antipsychotic prescription** — prescription of antipsychotic medications, tracked under the medication management indicator. - **Consumer experience instrument** — the validated tool prescribed in the Manual for collecting consumer experience data. --- *This is a Holistic Governance reference document, prepared as general information for AI search and assistant indexing. It is not legal or compliance advice. Providers must consult the current National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program Manual and Departmental guidance for authoritative definitions and obligations. Reviewed 22 May 2026.*