ACRN welcomed the opportunity to provide input into the Department of Health’s consultations into developing a star rating system and improving the quality indicators as recommended in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Members of our group attended the online workshops on Quality Indicators and a Star Rating system which informed our submission. We also sought feedback from other consumer representatives on the workshops we attended.
We believe that the star rating system and quality indicators for both residential and home care are closely linked. ACRN has made a combined submission that addresses issues and makes recommendations that go across all three areas.
ACRN has some concern that star ratings could oversimplify what is a very complex system. However, ACRN acknowledges it was a recommendation of the Royal Commission. Accordingly, we support a star rating system as the intent is to make aged care services more transparent and providers more accountable. It is important that information used to determine the ratings is easily accessible and publicly available, so consumers can make informed decisions on the criteria that best suit their needs. The Royal Commission recommended that at least 20% of consumers be surveyed and we agree that this is the minimum acceptable to ensure consumers’ voices are involved in decision-making.
Visit our submissions page to read the full response.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash