What aged care HR practitioners need to know about the new Quality of Care standards

Australian aged care regulators can now enforce legislative standards requiring aged care providers to provide structured performance, learning, development and complaints escalation processes. This follows a commitment made by the Australian Federal Government in the 2015-16 budget to streamline quality frameworks for aged care service providers.

The rationale

The amendments to the Quality of Care Principles 2014 create a single, streamlined set of standards designed to provide better, safer and more inclusive services to people living in aged care facilities. This new quality framework replaces the numerous sets of standards that aged care providers previously had to meet.

Over the past two years, the Federal Government has worked with aged care providers, industry experts and the community to develop the amendments, which frame aged care recipients as consumers deserving of great consumer outcomes.

By highlighting that aged care recipients have the right to quality care from skilled, trained and caring staff, the government is upholding a commitment to respect and ensure positive outcomes for these consumers.

This leaves HR practitioners to take action now to ensure compliance with the amendments.

Key provisions

The amendments to the Quality of Care Principles are effective from 1 July 2019 and have major implications for how aged care providers manage people and organisationalorganizational governance. Schedule 2, Standard 6, 7 and 8 of the amendments have particular relevance for HR practitioners at aged care institutions. These amendments set out standards that require aged care providers to:

• regularly seek input from the workforce to inform continuous improvements for aged care recipients and the organisationorganization as a whole
• provide quality services with a workforce that is sufficient, qualified, and trained to respect each person’s safety, culture and diverse identities
• maintain an organisationalorganizational culture of engagement, safety and accountability
• maintain an effective system of organisationalorganizational governance.

HR practitioners can ensure compliance with these amendments by facilitating effective onboarding, learning and development opportunities performance conversations and complaints processes.

Feedback and complaints

The purpose of Standard 6

The Standard 6 amendments require HR practitioners in aged care organisationsorganizations to regularly seek input and feedback from the workforce. According to the amendments, employees should also be engaged in processes to address  feedback from aged care recipients, and this feedback should be used to inform continuous improvements for aged care recipients and the organisationorganization as a whole.

Standard 6

Consumer outcome

(1) I feel safe and am encouraged and supported to give feedback and make complaints. I am engaged in processes to address my feedback and complaints, and appropriate action is taken.

OrganisationOrganization statement

(2) The organisationorganization regularly seeks input and feedback from consumers, carers, the workforce and others and uses the input and feedback to inform continuous improvements for individual consumers and the whole organisationorganization.

Requirements

(3) The organisationorganization demonstrates the following:

(a) consumers, their family, friends, carers and others are encouraged and supported to provide feedback and make complaints;

(b) consumers are made aware of and have access to advocates, language services and other methods for raising and resolving complaints;

(c) appropriate action is taken in response to complaints and an open disclosure process is used when things go wrong;

(d) feedback and complaints are reviewed and used to improve the quality of care and services.

What this means for HR practitioners

This standard requires HR practitioners to regularly seek feedback from the workforce and use this feedback to inform continual improvements for both:

• aged care recipients
• the organisationorganization as a whole

The standard also requires that the organisationorganization demonstrates that feedback and complaints from aged care recipients are reviewed and used to improve the quality of care and services. As some complaints from consumers may be about employees, or can only be corrected by employees, it’s important to have a structured and effective employee feedback approach to ensure complaints are addressed.

How HR teams can uplift feedback and complaints processes

HR and people leaders will need to find an approach that works for them to routinely seek and action feedback from employees to comply with Standard 6(2).

Approaches to gather feedback may include:

• a traditional ‘complaints box’
• a prompt at weekly one-on-one meetings with managers
• a complaints email inbox
• a regular survey.

The standards specify that feedback and complaints must be reviewed and used to improve the quality of care and services. So, once a feedback mechanism is identified, it’s important to ensure there are established processes to address feedback and complaints.

Building a culture where people can raise issues benefits everyone. Employees feel heard, the organisationorganization uncovers potential issues and can improve as a whole, and consumers reap the benefits of improved care.  

Accountability is an important requirement of standard 6(3)(d), which requires an organisationorganization to demonstrate that complaints are reviewed and used to improve the quality of care and services. This means HR leaders not only need to put the mechanisms in place to receive feedback from the workforce, they also need a structured approach to escalating and actioning that feedback.

When designing a process to address complaints, consider:

• how you can thank employees for providing feedback and encourage future feedback
• how you can engage the people who provide feedback in finding solutions – this may be through a regular meeting, or even participation in a hackathon to find potential solutions
• how you can ensure your process is well-documented.  

Learning and performance

The purpose of Standard 7  

The purpose of Standard 7 is to ensure positive outcomes for the people in aged care. This standard requires that an aged care organisationorganization demonstrates that its workforce is recruited, trained and equipped to deliver quality care that is kind, caring and respectful of each person’s diverse identity and culture.

Standard 7

Consumer outcome

(1) I get quality care and services when I need them from people who are knowledgeable, capable and caring.

OrganisationOrganization statement

(2) The organisationorganization has a workforce that is sufficient, and is skilled and qualified, to provide safe, respectful and quality care and services.

Requirements

(3) The organisationorganization demonstrates the following:

(a) the workforce is planned to enable, and the number and mix of members of the workforce deployed enables, the delivery and management of safe and quality care and services;

(b) workforce interactions with consumers are kind, caring and respectful of each consumer’s identity, culture and diversity;

(c) the workforce is competent and the members of the workforce have the qualifications and knowledge to effectively perform their roles;

(d) the workforce is recruited, trained, equipped and supported to deliver the outcomes required by these standards;

(e) regular assessment, monitoring and review of the performance of each member of the workforce.

What this means for HR practitioners

This standard sets out that people should get quality care and services when they need them from:

• A workforce that is sufficient and is skilled and qualified to provide safe, respectful and quality care and services
• People who are knowledgeable, capable and caring

How HR teams can ensure a sufficient workforce

Attracting and retaining talent in aged care organisationsorganizations is challenging.

Ensuring you have a sufficient workforce at all times takes an intentional and consistent approach. To enable achieving this, consider:

• mapping critical roles in your organisationorganization
• monitoring talent bench strength
• identifying and developing future leaders

Having an effective succession planning process in place will also help identify skills gaps, show areas for improvement, and reduce vacancy risk and turnover costs. Technology offers development and succession planning tools that can help you develop a robust talent bench, flag leadership potential, and monitor key roles to ensure your workforce is sufficient, accountable, and dedicated to continuous improvement.  

Having a streamlined recruitment approach will not only ensure you fill roles faster with qualified candidates, but allow you to identify how much you’re spending with agencies and how you can find more affordable resourcing channels.

How HR teams can build workforce skills and capability

Ensuring employees are:

• kind, caring and respectful of each consumer’s identity, culture and diversity;
• have the qualifications and knowledge to effectively perform their roles; and
• are recruited, trained, equipped and supported to deliver the outcomes required by the standards

is the focus of the amendments in Standard 7(3).

This focus on building skills and capability means HR teams must ensure that learning programs are formalisedformalized and consistently captured to meet compliance with the standards.

For existing workforces this may mean conducting cross-facility training, including diversity and inclusion training, and ensuring that a central register of all licences, skills and competencies is complete and up-to-date.

For recruiters and people leaders onboarding new employees, it is essential that new employees’ skills, competencies and licences are captured in a central register, and any gaps are addressed during onboarding. It is a good idea to include diversity and inclusion and or cultural sensitivity training as part of your onboarding programs.

A Learning Management System (LMS) can deliver role-based learning activities automatically through an intuitive learning library that lets people drive their own development. A good learning management system will include an application so that employees who aren’t at desktop computers can easily complete learning tasks. Compliance checking and certification tracking is another key requirement of the new amendments, and an effective LMS can help HR practitioners ensure people are safe, certified and compliant with the amendments.  

Having each person’s learning and onboarding activity tracked in one system (ideally linked to your recruitment management system) enables your facility to respond to audits quickly and with confidence.

How HR teams can implement regular performance management

Ensuring regular performance management for aged care employees is the focus of the Schedule 2, Standard 7(3)(e) amendments. This standard dictates that each member of the workforce receives regular:

• assessment
• monitoring
• performance reviews

People leaders can ensure compliance with the standard by first building a culture of feedback that empowers regular development conversations, rather than just yearly performance reviews.

If people leaders aren’t accustomed to giving performance feedback, you may wish to roll out training to enable them to do this, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Look to streamline the feedback process and maintain a single record for performance across your organisationorganization to create a consistent, transparent performance feedback process. This will help remove the friction and formality associated with performance management, making it easier to conduct regular feedback and performance monitoring activities.

Aged care institutions can adopt a flexible approach to performance by using tools like mobile applications to conduct regular feedback conversations anywhere, anytime.

OrganisationalOrganizational governance

The purpose of Standard 8

The purpose of Schedule 2, Standard 8 of the amendments is to ensure aged care organisationsorganizations are well run and their governing body accountable for the delivery of safe and quality care and services.

Standard 8

Consumer outcome

(1) I am confident the organisationorganization is well run. I can partner in improving the delivery of care and services.

OrganisationOrganization statement

(2) The organisationorganization’s governing body is accountable for the delivery of safe and quality care and services.

Requirements

(3) The organisationorganization demonstrates the following:

(a) consumers are engaged in the development, delivery and evaluation of care and services and are supported in that engagement;

(b) the organisationorganization’s governing body promotes a culture of safe, inclusive and quality care and services and is accountable for their delivery;

(c) effective organisationorganization wide governance systems relating to the following:

(i) information management;

(ii) continuous improvement;

(iii) financial governance;

(iv) workforce governance, including the assignment of clear responsibilities and accountabilities;

(v) regulatory compliance;

(vi) feedback and complaints;

(d) effective risk management systems and practices, including but not limited to the following:

(i) managing high impact or high prevalence risks associated with the care of consumers;

(ii) identifying and responding to abuse and neglect of consumers;

(iii) supporting consumers to live the best life they can;

(e) where clinical care is provided—a clinical governance framework, including but not limited to the following:

(i) antimicrobial stewardship;

(ii) minimising the use of restraint;

(iii) open disclosure.

What this means for HR practitioners

The above standard requires organisationsorganizations to demonstrate:

• The organisationorganization’s governing body promotes a culture of safe, inclusive and quality care and services
• The organisationorganization’s governing body is accountable for the delivery of these services
• Effective organisationorganization-wide governance systems relating to
  • Continuous improvement
  • Workforce governance, including the assignment of clear responsibilities and accountabilities
  • Regulatory compliance

A culture of safety and quality care

HR practitioners should take the lead in cultivating a culture of compliance, safety and inclusivity in their aged care facility. This can be achieved by uplifting employee competencies during onboarding and throughout their employment journey with activities like diversity and inclusion training, safety and compliance activities

These learning activities uplift employee skills, and by extension promote an organizational culture of safe, inclusive and quality care. When HR practitioners invest in their people’s learning and development, it also improves the organisationorganization as a whole.

It’s a good idea to have these learning activities and certifications delivered and stored in one single online system. This makes regulatory compliance easy to track, and ensures an organisationorganization’s governing body is accountable for the delivery of these services.

Workforce governance

The amendments also require an aged care facility to demonstrate an effective system of workforce governance including the assignment of clear roles and responsibilities. This can be achieved by:

• having clear position descriptions
• articulating key performance indicators for each role
• ensuring people leaders update position descriptions when required and use key performance indicators when discussing performance.

Can we help?

PageUp is working with several of our valued Aged Care clients to help them meet the requirements of the amended regulations which come into effect on 1 July 2019. If we can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a demonstration today.

The contents of this article are intended to provide general information and do not constitute legal advice. Formal legal advice should be sought in particular matters.