All approved providers of residential aged care services are required to participate in the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program). The QI Program requires Commonwealth-subsidised residential aged care services to collect data and report on Quality Indicators every three months.
July 2023 is the first time that providers will have to report on several new QIs. This article provides some useful information to help you meet your obligations.
What Are the Quality Indicators?
The Quality Indicators (QIs) measure important aspects of quality of care that can affect a resident’s health and wellbeing. There are currently 11 QIs across crucial care areas that providers need to collect data and report on.
Since July 2021, providers have been collecting data and reporting on the following five QIs:
- Pressure injuries: percentage of care recipients with pressure injuries.
- Physical restraint: percentage of care recipients who were physically restrained.
- Unplanned weight loss (significant and consecutive): percentage of care recipients who experienced significant or consecutive unplanned weight loss.
- Falls and major injury: percentage of care recipients who experienced falls including falls resulting in major injuries.
- Medication management, including polypharmacy and anti-psychotics: percentage of care recipients who were prescribed nine or more medications or received antipsychotic medications.
From 1 April 2023, providers are also required to collect data and report on the following six QIs:
- Activities of daily living (ADL): percentage of care recipients whose ADL function has declined.
- Incontinence care: percentage of care recipients with incontinence associated dermatitis.
- Hospitalisations: percentage of care recipients who presented to hospital.
- Workforce: percentage of staff turnover.
- Consumer experience: percentage of care recipients who report good or excellent experience of the service.
- Quality of life: percentage of care recipients who report good or excellent quality of life.
How Do Providers Collect Data?
Providers of residential care services must collect the QI data using the methods prescribed by the National Aged Care QI Manual (Manual). We provided a brief summary of the methods pertaining to the new QIs in a previous Aged Care Essentials (ACE) article.
For most of the QIs, providers should have already collected data and be ready to report. However, the method for collecting data on some of the new QIs, specifically “Workforce” and “ADL”, may prove difficult to follow for this upcoming reporting period. This is because these QIs require providers to compare current quarter data against previous quarter data, and when providers come to report on these QIs for the first time in July 2023 they may not have any data for the previous quarter (January-March) because they weren’t required to collect it.
In a previous ACE article, we explained that the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission forwarded us advice from the Department of Health and Aged Care (Department) that clarified the collection requirements for these QIs for the July reporting period.
In relation to ADL data, the Department understands that not all providers will have collected this data in the previous quarter. Consequently, if providers do not have ADL data to submit, they simply need to explain this when they report.
However, the Department does expect that providers will have collected workforce data in previous quarters and will therefore be able to report on this QI in July by comparing with current quarter data. This is because the Department’s view is that providers will have already been collecting workforce data for purposes other than to satisfy their obligations under the QI Program.
The Manual states that the collection date for workforce data must take place in the 21 days after the end of the current quarter, so that providers can review their staff records for the entire quarter. This means that the collection date for workforce data will be between 1 July and 21 July 2023.
How to Report?
Providers can report data via the Quality Indicators App (QI App) in the Government Provider Management System (GPMS).
The QI App replaces the previous reporting function in the My Aged Care Provider Portal.
For more information on how the QI App works see the Government Provider Management System – User Guide: Quality Indicators App.
When Do Providers Have to Report?
Approved providers are required to submit QI data into the GPMS QI App no later than the 21st day of the month after the end of each quarter.
Because Quarter 4 2022-23 ends on 30 June 2023, the due date for reporting is 21 July 2023. This means that providers must submit Quarter 4 QI data in the GPMS QI App by 11.59pm on 21 July.
What To Do Now
In addition to complying with their reporting requirements for the July reporting period, providers should also review their processes for collecting and reporting data to ensure that they remain appropriate to continue to meet their future obligations under the QI Program.
Providers should also regularly visit the Department’s website to ensure that they remain up to date with any new requirements under the QI Program.
Further Information
