Choosing an aged care home for yourself or a loved one is a big decision and knowing that they can provide a high quality of care is critical. So, the introduction of Star Ratings for residential aged care homes in late December 2022 has made it easier for older Australians and their families to choose an aged care home.
Liquid is proud to have assisted the Department of Health and Aged Care, and partners such as the University of Queensland, PwC and Accenture, to design, develop and deliver Star Ratings.
Star Ratings were a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which highlighted the need for measurable information on aged care quality to support older Australians to compare residential aged care homes.
Delivering this recommendation, the team supported the department to pull together extensive data on compliance, quality indicators, staffing levels, and independently gathered residents' feedback to create a consistent and comparable rating for each aged care home.
Star Ratings can be found on the My Aged Care website using the ‘Find a provider’ tool.
Liquid’s Head of Strategy Fiona Armstrong said: “We heard from many older Australians and their families how important but difficult it was to find, understand, and compare the quality of care an aged care home provides.
“Working collaboratively with them, we created and delivered an online experience that makes it easier to see and compare the quality of care across all aged care homes. In the nearly six months since Star Ratings were released, they’ve been used by more than 115,000 people.
“Initial feedback shows it’s not just about peace of mind, it is helping people feel more confident in deciding to move into a home and equipping them to know what questions to ask. We’re delighted to have played a part in this important reform.”
Since 2018, Liquid has collaborated with the department and hundreds of Australians and their families to improve access to aged care.
The My Aged Care website empowers people to make informed decisions about care options, and Star Ratings is a significant addition that increases transparency and helps older people make informed choices.
Every aged care home receives a Star Rating for Residents' Experience, Compliance, Quality Measures and Staffing. The ratings for each sub-category make up the home's Overall Star Rating.
