The quality of residential aged care received by Australians is an important issue and was the subject of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

With funding from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, in 2022 NARI researchers consulted with aged care stakeholders and conducted a review of literature to elicit a better understanding of what quality care means to the people who either receive or provide residential aged care services. They also explored how the COVID-19 pandemic affected residential aged care in Victoria, including its impact on the quality of care.

They found although staff aspired to provide empathetic care and although person-centred care was well established as the benchmark of quality care in residential aged care homes, achieving it was challenging. Both residents and staff described financial and regulatory pressures on providers that translated into constraints on staffing levels and staff mix, creating a culture of compliance performance and risk adversity.

Their experiences of the COVID pandemic reinforced the importance of:

1. Consistent, clear communication to support residents, families and staff during a crisis; 
2. The need for greater attention to the design of homes to ensure they comply with infection control guidelines; and 
3. The centrality of staff in terms of their attributes, numbers, and knowledge and skill to quality care.

The findings from the research informed the subsequent design of a model of care for public sector residential aged care homes, incorporating aspects of quality considered most important to residents and staff.

Contact: Dr Joan Ostaszkiewicz