Hi, I'm Marlies from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. In this video, I'll be guiding you through how to use the Aged Care Provider Requirements Search tool.
The Provider Requirements Search tool helps compile the aged care provider requirements that apply when delivering services under the Aged Care Act 2024. The Search tool allows the user to explore requirements by topic, or by creating a summary that is based on their specific circumstances.
You should note the Search tool doesn't contain requirements that the system governor and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission must meet, application requirements or penalty provisions. It's also important to note that the Requirements Search tool is not a replacement for the Act or associated Rules, but rather is a guide to help support you navigate them.
For full details, we recommend you check the Act and associated Rules via the blue links provided in the results cards of the tool. If you haven't already, it will be helpful to watch the introduction video that gives an overview of how the Search tool can help you, through the link on screen. You can access the Search tool by navigating to the new regulatory model web page on the department's website, or by typing the address on the screen into your browser.
I'll use an example scenario so you can see how the Search tool works in practice. When you open the homepage, you'll see a few ways to get started. You can begin by answering the guided questions to generate your tailored list of requirements. I'll show you this in a moment. Alternatively, you can explore by topics. These are requirements grouped together by a common theme, such as ‘Reporting and notifications’, ‘Workforce’ or ‘Complaints and feedback’. Clicking on one of these takes you directly to a list of requirements related to that topic.
This is especially useful if you're looking for requirements for a specific area. Just a note that not all requirements in this tool are aligned to one of these five topics. On the homepage you can also provide feedback using the ‘Provide Feedback’ button in the page footer.
Now let's look at the ‘About’ page. The ‘About’ page provides a clear overview of the Search tool's purpose and scope. It includes content on the regulatory changes under the Aged Care Act 2024 and new regulatory model. This includes information on universal registration and transitioning existing providers to become registered providers in registration categories. Let's now move to the ‘How it works’ page. This page explains the logic behind the Search tool. It outlines how the answers you provide to questions about your registration categories and the service types you deliver are used to filter and display relevant requirements. This is helpful for understanding the structure of the Search tool and how it displays the legislation and Rules.
A ‘Resources’ page is also included. The resources page links to key documents, legislation and guidance. It's a valuable hub for accessing supporting materials, including the full Aged Care Act 2024, associated Rules, program information, other informative videos, links to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and training and development options. Okay, let's get started on a demonstration of the Search tool. I’ll move back to the ‘Home’ tab and click on the ‘Start’ button.
You can see from the bar across the top, there are five questions to be answered before results are shown. First, you'll need to choose your pathway. Select the tile that best describes your situation. The ‘Registered provider’ pathway will guide you through questions about your organisation to generate a list of requirements according to the service types you deliver. In the ‘Prospective provider’ pathway, you'll be asked about the service types you intend to deliver. You can explore requirements by selecting different search criteria before viewing your results. If you're an associate provider, aged care worker, responsible person, digital platform operator, or have another role in the aged care sector, you can select the ‘I work with or for a registered provider’ pathway.
For this example, I'll choose ‘Registered provider’. It's worth remembering that any provider funded to deliver aged care services will automatically become a registered provider on commencement of the act on 1 November.
First, select the state where you deliver your services. We collect this information to better understand who is using this Search tool. For this example, I'll choose New South Wales. You can select multiple states if you deliver across more than one. Then click ‘Next’. Now it's time to select the service types you deliver. You can select by whole categories which will select all service types in that category, or you can select each individual service type. For this example, I'll select a range of services in categories 1 to 5. If you're unsure, each question has a ‘Tool tip’. By clicking on this, more information to assist with answering the questions will be shown. For example, on this screen clicking the lowercase ‘i’ provides additional detail on services under each service type within each registration category.
Also note that at any point, you can click ‘Previous’ to go back one step or click ‘Start again’ if you want to return to the home page. Next, the Search tool will prompt you to select how you are funded. For this example, I'll choose Commonwealth Home Support Program. The next prompt will be to confirm if you're a government entity or not. A government entity is a state or territory government provider. This does not include a local government provider or council. This is important as there are requirements in the Act that do not apply to government entities. For this example, I'll choose ‘No’. Now you can click ‘View results’.
Once you've completed the questions, the results page will be shown. This will list the registered provider requirements relevant to your selections. The sentence in the green box outlines the selections you have made and the requirements that are listed. The results are displayed as cards in a list format and are not displayed in any order of priority.
The Aged Care Act 2024 is organized into chapters, parts, divisions and subdivisions to make the legislation easier to navigate and apply. Within each chapter, parts break down the content into functional areas, while divisions and subdivisions include sections with detailed provisions setting the scope and ability to create Rules.
The Rules are what are known as subordinate legislation and provide a greater level of detail to the expectations set in relevant sections of the Act. At the top of each card, you'll see the Act subdivision name and the section that the requirement comes from. We have in blue the weblink to the Act. In the white box is an extract from the Act. This is a direct quote from the legislation so you can see the exact wording. Below, we have a high-level summary of the rules.
This is written to help understand what's required. Under that is a green box that shows which registration category the requirement applies to, so it can easily show if it's relevant to the provider.
There are a few ways you can filter or group your results by topic or specific kind of requirement. On the left hand of the screen, you can filter results by type of requirement, that is, conditions of registration, obligations or statutory duties, or by subdivisions and sections of the Act. Let's look at an example. Say, I want to see my requirements relating to whistleblowers. I can use the ‘Search’ function under ‘Subdivisions and sections’, or alternatively, scroll down to ‘Management of incidents and complaints’, and then under the dropdown, tick ‘Complaints, feedback and ‘whistleblowers’. Now I can see an overview of my requirements relating to whistleblowers based on the earlier questions I answered about my role in the aged care sector and my circumstances. You can also filter multiple sections at a time but make sure to uncheck or click ‘Reset all filters’ to go back to your full list of results. Along the top, you can select by topic to see your requirements relating specifically to ‘Governance’ or ‘Reporting and notifications’, for example. Again, when you're done, make sure to go back to the ‘All topics’ view. When you're finished, you can download and save your results as a PDF using the ‘Export’ button. This will always have a date to show when it has been saved or printed.
It's important to note that the Search tool will be updated over time, so your results are a snapshot of your requirements for one point in time. If, for example, any of the Rules are changed, a new search following that change may show amendments to those requirements. You can also save the page as a favourite in your browser. If you'd like to complete another search, you can click on ‘Edit details’, which will take you back to question one.
This is the end of the demonstration. As a reminder, the Search tool is to be used alongside the Act, the Rules and other resources, including those available on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's website. This will ensure providers have the information they need to navigate their requirements under the Aged Care Act 2024.
Thank you for all you are doing to put all the people and their needs at the centre of the aged care system. For more information about these changes, please see the details on the screen.