About the program
Quality indicators measure important aspects of aged care services. This helps to improve the quality of aged care services provided to older people.
Residential aged care providers currently report on 11 quality indicators, with 3 staffing quality indicators to be added in 2025.
We are also expanding the QI program to include quality indicators for in-home aged care providers.
We consulted extensively with the sector and aged care experts to develop the quality indicators.
Learn how to submit your QI Program data.
Why it’s important
Reporting on the quality of care helps:
- approved providers measure, monitor, compare and improve the quality of their services
- older people find information about the quality of aged care services when making choices about their care
- government monitor the quality of aged care provided to residents, and make evidence-based policy decisions.
The QI Program addresses recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Quality indicators for residential aged care
Residential aged care providers must report on the following 11 quality indicators for each resident every 3 months:
- Pressure injuries
- Physical restraint
- Unplanned weight loss
- Falls and major injury
- Medication management
- Activities of daily living
- Incontinence care
- Hospitalisation
- Workforce
- Consumer experience
- Quality of life.
New quality indicators for staffing in 2025
From 1 April 2025 (quarter 4, 2024–25) providers will start collecting data for:
- enrolled nursing
- allied health
- lifestyle officers.
Providers will report the data through the Government Provider Management System (GPMS) from 1 July 2025.
Enrolled nurses, allied health workers and lifestyle officers are an important part residential aged care. The new quality indicators make sure their valuable work is properly measured and recorded.
The new quality indicators respond to feedback that the 24/7 registered nurse requirement could lead to a decrease in enrolled nurses, allied health and lifestyle services.
See how we consulted the sector on the new staffing quality indicators.
New quality indicators for in-home aged care
We completed consultation on suitable quality indicators for in-home aged care in July 2024. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
We have engaged HealthConsult to run a 12-week pilot from early October 2024 to test the proposed quality indicators.
Reporting
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) publishes QI data at national, state and territory levels, and by geographical remoteness for each quarter of reporting.
Legislation
The QI Program is governed by:
- the Aged Care Act 1997
- the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Quality Indicator Program) Principles 2021
- Accountability Principles 2014
- Records Principles 2014.
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