Quality Framework for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program
4 Understanding Evidence
Up to Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance (OACQC)
Table of contents
Section 1: Quality Framework- Section 2: Understanding Quality and Continuous Improvement
Section 3: Service Provider Guide to Self-Assessment- Section 4: Quality Reviewer Guide
- Appendix 1: Self-Assessment Tool
- Appendix 2: Examples Completed Self-Assessment
- Appendix 3: Quality Reviewer Desk Top Review Record
- Appendix 4: On-site Review Planning Templates
- Appendix 5: On-site Review Tools and Templates
- Appendix 6: Quality Improvement Plan and Progress Report
- Appendix 7: Acronyms and Glossary
4.1 Evidence explained
The self-assessment report by the service provider records their findings about how well they are meeting the Quality Framework standards.The Quality Review Team’s desk top review and on-site visit verifies the service’s self-assessment. That is, the reviewers look at all evidence given to them by the service provider and decide if the service meets the Quality Framework standards.
As such it is important that this Guide is clear about what evidence is. Evidence is information that confirms or proves something. Evidence can include something that is written, something that is seen or something that is heard.
Evidence must be relevant, reliable and adequate. That is:
- relevant evidence clearly relates to the issue at hand or the question being asked
- reliable evidence is from a source or person accepted as having relevant knowledge and/or experience in that area
- adequate evidence provides enough information to fully answer the question being asked.
4.2 What evidence is acceptable?
Evidence is usually thought to be most reliable when it can be confirmed by more than one process or piece of information.The evidence that services have will differ and may depend upon the size and structure of the organisation, the services provided and the staff and service user group. However, to just say that something is done, or describe a system or process that is in place, is not enough evidence to show that a standard is met.