Not all aged care homes have a problem with staffing
Key Points
Age care homes nationally have a problem with staffing - this is widely reported.
Staffing is also a key quality measure the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission tracks carefully, and a rating is attached to every aged care home in Australia. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has coverage of 220,000 aged care places within more than 2,600 aged care. No other survey can come close to the Commission’s resources and coverage to help Australians compare aged care homes.
While a large proportion of aged care homes have a staffing rating of “significant improvement needed”, this is not the case for all aged care homes.
By comparing staffing ratings, Australians have a useful tool to help their search or monitor the aged care home of a loved one.
We have organised this data to help with your search by preparing tables (based on regions) to allow comparison of staffing ratings.
By looking at aged care star ratings each quarter, we can also highlight providers that are improving or deteriorating in quality.
How can you measure the quality of staffing in an aged care home? Where do you find it?
An example of care minute targets for a provider from myagedcare.gov.au
The Aged Care Star Ratings system has a rating for staffing based on a measure of time providing nursing and personal care.
The Australian Government sets “care minute” targets for aged care homes that includes care by either a registered nurse, enrolled nurse or personal care worker. A star is assigned according to how the aged care home has met targets - ranging from 5 Stars for exceeding targets down to 1 Star if “significant improvement needed”.
The sector-wide target is 200 minutes per day, however this is adjusted for each care home. More detail on the methodology and targets can be found here.
Target minutes, and the performance of an aged care home are reported in their listing on the myagedcare website. While this is useful information, it does not offer the ability to easily compare aged care homes in an area.
In addition to the care minutes, survey data is also collected in annual resident interviews. Resident feedback on whether they feel they are getting the care they need, or their perception of staff capability is also enormously useful in making an assessment of an aged care home.
Aged Care Homes have ratings for staffing - now you can easily compare them
The first step to comparing aged care providers and their staffing is to narrow your search to providers that are in a location that suits you.
The location of an aged care provider plays a pivotal role in decision-making. For instance, if one spouse remains at home, they might need to visit the other at an aged care facility daily. Thus, considering the day-to-day logistics is as crucial as ensuring the best quality of care.
Additionally, it could be beneficial for the elderly parent(s) to be situated close to their children or at a location that's convenient for multiple family members.
We've developed a map (for NSW) that instantly showcases providers based on their overall quality rating. By selecting a provider, users can access essential details such as pricing, facility size, and a direct link to their myagedcare listing.
Every aged care provider in Australia is part of a broader planning zone defined by the government. This information is included in the listing page.
We utilise these regional classifications to compile a comprehensive list of providers, enabling you to delve deeper into the choices within your vicinity.
Take control of a large amount of information to look at quality in your area
By looking at providers in your region you can consider your options.
(For a more detailed breakdown of aged care regions and pertinent statistics, please visit the Australian Government Aged Care Data website.)
We've compiled the rating information released in August into a sortable list. Additionally, we have incorporated a direct link to MyAgedCare, allowing you to verify the rating information or get in touch with the provider directly.
You can use this list to sort according to staffing, allowing for a quick overview of the situation in your area.
Furthermore, we've included Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) details for easy reference. This information can also be swiftly verified by navigating to the "Rooms and Costs" tab on MyAgedCare.
Start with the overall rating
The key measure of the Aged Care Star rating system is the “Overall Star Rating” - a measure that captures 4 key measures of residential aged care provider performance - Resident Experience, Compliance, Staffing and Quality Measures.
Consider this information includes survey of 10% of aged care residents, and collects compliance information daily.
The next step is to try sorting columns to assess performance in other quality measures.
A look at staffing reveals a bigger problem - but not for all
In the example used here (Northern Sydney), there are a high number of providers that seem to have an urgent issue with staffing.
This trend aligns with observations of aged care providers nationwide.
Notably, providers with the highest staffing ratings often coincide with those charging higher RADs - but this is not always the case.
It is also interesting to note that while some providers have the lowest score for staffing, they rank highly overall - with strong ratings for resident experience, compliance and overall quality.
There are a few things to consider here - one being the timing of the data - the survey is annual, staffing rating is quarterly, and compliance is measured daily.
What is changing?
This is crucial to note: every quarter, the Government publishes a summary of Star Ratings information. This allows us to track which providers are improving or declining in their quality ratings.
You can also look at an aged care home listing to track changes over time for any quality measure.
What next?
The Government Aged Care Star Ratings system offers an unparalleled metric for assessing the quality of aged care homes. It stands as the premier source of information for Australians in their search for quality aged care.
Moreover, fluctuations in Star Ratings serve as a vital tool for monitoring the evolution of aged care quality in specific regions.
We will continue to update our tools to help Australians track and understand aged care home quality in their area.