Falls and medication management must be reported from mid-next year

Two new quality indicators will be included to the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program from 1 July next year.

The Minister for Aged Care, Richard Colbeck, has approved the new quality indicators following a national trial.

The two new quality indicators are:

• Falls and major injury – the percentage of care recipients who experienced one or more falls, and the percentage of care recipients who experienced one or more falls resulting in major injury, and
• Medication management – the percentage of care recipients who prescribed nine or more medications and the percentage of care recipients who received antipsychotic medications.

These indicators will be added to the existing quality indicators of:

• Pressure injuries – the percentage of care recipients with pressure injuries, reported against six pressure injury stages
• Physical restraint – the percentage of care recipients who were physically restrained, and
• Unplanned weight loss – the percentage of care recipients who experienced significant unplanned weight loss (5% or more) and percentage of care recipients who experienced consecutive unplanned weight loss.

“Objective and measurable” quality indicators may be used in future as part of the star rating system for aged care homes. This was a recommendation by counsel assisting in their final submissions to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

The ability to compare quality indicators was also recommended, and counsel assisting also proposed introducing quality indicators for home care services too.