The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) was introduced in 2019 to help aged care providers measure, monitor, compare and improve the quality of their services.
Collecting the data means providers can identify trends in their services over time and compare themselves against national averages.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s website states that giving providers this ability “will lead to an even better quality of care and quality of life for consumers”.
The data must be submitted to the Department of Health via the My Aged Care Provider Portal.
Falls
Providers will have to provide the Commission with the percentage of care recipients who experienced one or more falls during the quarter, and the percentage of care recipients who experienced one or more falls resulting in a major injury or injuries.
Providers will also have to provide information about the care recipients who were assessed for falls and major injury or injuries.
Providers will also have to report on the percentage of care recipients who were prescribed nine or more medications on a single day in the quarter, and on the percentage who received antipsychotic medications during a seven-day period.
Providers also need to provide quality food, services for aged care residents.
Health professionals and royal commission need to check on nursing home, how, what, who is providing the proper services.
Residents with dementia can’t ask for example:- cutlery if dinner is served without cutlery or water or tea or coffee. They go without because kitchen did not supply. They are humans, can be my mom, my sister ,brother, father, son , aunty and uncles. Veterans served our country. If you so call hellocare
From a nurses perspective it is a good initiative to collect data regarding medication management. However, an assumption could be drawn that aged care providers are reporting something for which they are not responsible or can control. Doctors prescribe. So if the government has a concern in relation to prescribing practices of doctors, be it polypharmacy or the appropriate use of psychotropic medication, then what are they doing in collaboration with their professional bodies to both investigate and analyze prescribing practice?