--- title: Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards topic: strengthened-aged-care-quality-standards type: HG Reference jurisdiction: Australia (national) lastReviewed: 2026-05-22 publisher: Holistic Governance publisherUrl: https://hg-au.com canonicalUrl: https://hg-au.com/topics/strengthened-aged-care-quality-standards.md --- # Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards > The Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards are the seven outcomes-based standards that all government-subsidised aged care providers in Australia must meet. They commenced on 1 November 2025 under the Aged Care Act 2024, replacing the eight 2019 Quality Standards. ## What it is The Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards are a regulator-set framework of seven standards that define the minimum acceptable quality and safety of aged care service delivery in Australia. The Standards are operationalised through the Aged Care Act 2024 and audited by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission). The structure of the Standards is outcomes-based: each standard sets out the outcome required for the older person, supported by expectations of the provider and the workforce, and detailed actions. The audit and assessment methodology is also outcomes-based — providers must demonstrate, with evidence, that intended outcomes for older people are actually being achieved, not simply that policies and processes exist. The Strengthened Standards replace the previous eight Aged Care Quality Standards (2019). The shift reflects Royal Commission recommendations about person-centred care, governance accountability, clinical safety, and the dignity of older people. ## The seven Strengthened Standards | # | Standard | Focus | Applies to | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | The Person | Individual rights, dignity, identity, choice, decision-making, voice | All providers | | 2 | The Organisation | Governing body accountability, leadership, culture, partnering with older people, workforce, risk and quality systems, financial and prudential management | All providers | | 3 | Care and Services | Assessment, planning, delivery, communication, transitions, end-of-life care | All providers | | 4 | The Environment | Physical environment, infection prevention and control | Residential providers; Standard 4 applies in part to home-based services | | 5 | Clinical Care | Clinical governance, comprehensive care, recognising and responding to deterioration, medication, pressure injuries, restrictive practices | Providers delivering clinical care | | 6 | Food and Nutrition | Choice of food, nutrition, hydration, dining experience, food safety | Residential providers | | 7 | The Residential Community | Daily living, meaningful activities, community connections, transitions | Residential providers | The exact scope of application to specific service categories is set out in the Aged Care Rules 2025 and Commission guidance. ## Statutory basis - **Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth)** — empowers the Minister to determine the Standards and obliges registered providers to comply. - **Quality Standards** instruments made under the Act. - **Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 (Cth)** — empowers the Commission to audit and enforce compliance. ## Who it applies to - All providers of Commonwealth-subsidised aged care, scoped by service category: - Residential aged care providers — all seven Standards. - Support at Home providers — Standards 1, 2, 3, and 5 (in scope of clinical care), and applicable parts of Standard 4. - Specialist programs (multipurpose services, transition care, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program) — applicable subset. - Sub-contracted providers and brokered service partners — through the registered provider's accountability chain. ## Key obligations - **Outcomes evidence** — providers must demonstrate the intended outcome for older people is achieved, not just that a process exists. - **Partnering with older people** — meaningful engagement with older people and their representatives in design, delivery, and review of services. - **Governing body accountability** — the governing body is accountable for delivery against the Standards and must have systems to receive assurance. - **Clinical governance** — formal clinical governance framework, clinical leadership, clinical risk management, and continuous improvement. - **Workforce capability** — competent, supported, supervised workforce with sufficient capacity to deliver care. - **Continuous improvement** — an active continuous improvement system that closes the loop on feedback, incidents, complaints, audits, and quality indicator data. - **Restrictive practices** — restrictive practices used only as a last resort, with informed consent and authorisation, and minimised over time. - **Food and nutrition** — choice, dignity, and nutritional adequacy for residential care residents. ## Audit and assessment methodology The Commission audits providers using: - Document review. - Observation of care and services. - Interviews with older people, representatives, and workers. - Outcomes-based judgement against each Standard. Assessment outcomes for each Standard are recorded as compliant or non-compliant, with non-compliance risk-rated. Public performance reports are published on the Commission's website. Significant non-compliance can trigger compliance notices, sanctions, conditions on registration, or revocation. ## Implementation timeline - **2023** — draft Strengthened Standards released for consultation. - **2024** — final Standards published; provider preparation period. - **1 November 2025** — Strengthened Standards commenced alongside the Aged Care Act 2024. - **2025–2026** — first cycle of audits and assessment contacts under the new methodology. ## Common provider gaps - **Outcomes evidence is thin** — providers can demonstrate the policy and the process but not the outcome for the older person. - **Standard 2 (The Organisation) is underestimated** — boards have not adapted their oversight arrangements to demonstrate the level of accountability the Standard requires. - **Standard 5 (Clinical Care) clinical governance is fragmented** — clinical governance framework documents exist but are not operationalised in board reporting, workforce supervision, and clinical risk escalation. - **Restrictive practices** — authorisation, monitoring, and reduction plans are not consistently applied to chemical restraint. - **Partnering with older people** — engagement is consultative rather than co-design, and is not embedded in service design and continuous improvement. - **Continuous improvement loops are open** — feedback, complaints, incidents, and quality indicator data are collected but improvement actions are not consistently tracked to closure. ## How Holistic Governance supports providers - Independent gap analysis against each Strengthened Standard, scoped to the provider's service categories. - Outcomes-evidence framework — how to capture and present evidence that intended outcomes are being achieved. - Clinical governance framework design and implementation aligned to Standard 5. - Standard 2 board accountability review — terms of reference, board reporting pack, assurance map, risk register, and committee charter alignment. - Power BI board dashboards covering Standards-aligned indicators: clinical incidents, restrictive practices, quality indicators, workforce metrics, care minutes, complaints, consumer experience. - Restrictive practices review including authorisation, monitoring, reduction planning, and chemical restraint focus. - Continuous improvement system design — feedback, incidents, complaints, audit, and quality indicator integration. - Mock audits and accreditation readiness reviews under the new outcomes-based assessment methodology. - Workforce capability framework — supervision, competence, and capacity sufficient to demonstrate Standard 2 and Standard 5 expectations. ## Official sources - Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — Strengthened Standards hub: https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/providers/standards - Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — https://www.health.gov.au/topics/aged-care - Federal Register of Legislation — https://www.legislation.gov.au ## Glossary - **Outcomes-based** — assessment focused on what is actually achieved for the older person, not whether a process or policy exists. - **Restrictive practice** — any practice or intervention that has the effect of restricting the rights or freedom of movement of an older person, including chemical, physical, environmental, mechanical, and seclusion. - **Continuous improvement** — a systematic approach to learning from feedback, incidents, audit, and quality data and embedding changes that improve outcomes. - **Clinical governance** — the integrated system of leadership, accountability, and structures that ensures safe, high-quality clinical care. --- *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 should consult the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's published guidance and qualified advisors for decisions about their own circumstances. Reviewed 22 May 2026.*