Keeping up with the Mandatory Care Time Standards and Reporting for Australian Aged Care

In response to the Aged Care Royal Commission, the Australian Government will invest $3.9 billion over 3 years from 2022–23, to increase the amount of front-line care delivered to the hundreds of thousands of elderly Australians using residential aged care.

That means that the federal government is mandating from October 2023 that residents of aged care facilities are to receive a minimum of 200 minutes of care time per day. 40 minutes of that time must come directly from a Registered Nurse and there must be a Registered Nurse rostered for 16 hours per day.

To access this funding providers will be required to provide accurate reporting on care staffing minutes at the facility level. A nigh impossible task if you are still relying on paper-based systems.

When do the Mandatory Care Standards take effect?

Mandatory care time standards reporting is already in effect, with additional requirements on the way. Here is a breakdown of the dates:

From July 2022, residential aged care providers will also be required to provide monthly reporting to families to show how much care their loved ones are receiving, showing the average care provided each day by each carer type.

From December 2022, facilities will be provided with a star rating based on the minutes reported.

From October 2023, facilities will have to meet the 200-minute minimum, this means that providers need to be running reports now to calculate how much care is currently being provided in order to make adjustments to staffing levels.

How can you prepare for the Mandatory Care Minutes and Reporting?

Early preparation and understanding where your facility currently sits with care minutes is vital. It is important to identify existing resourcing levels and the level that you need to get to by 2023. Using the old paper-based and manual systems is no longer going to cut it. To get ahead of the Aged Care Royal Commission compliance requirements the industry needs to embrace the future.

HSC Technology Group has a simple solution to this pressing problem. Talius™ is a future-proof, technology-based solution that collects data from a range of sensors in order to improve safety and share insights in simple dashboards. It can be easily integrated with existing aged care nurse call systems and technology to ensure aged care providers can:

• Accurately Track All Interactions — Collect data on all interactions to ensure regulations and care obligations are met.
• Get Ahead of Royal Commission Recommendations — Change is coming – we can get you there quicker.
• Communicate With Families — Give families peace of mind their loved one is being cared for.
• Prove Your Compliance — Information is stored in a central place and available at the click of a button.
• Secure Resident Privacy and Data — All data is securely stored and encrypted.
• Say Goodbye To Paper Trails — Avoid lost or incomplete data trails.

Reporting on care staffing minutes has been required since July 2022. Get ahead of the October 2023 deadline by preparing now. Book a free demo of the Talius™ platform to help meet your compliance requirements www.hsctg.com.au/free-demo/

To find out more about the findings and recommendation of the Aged Care Royal Commission visit:

• Australian Government Department of Health — What Are Care Minutes
• Aged Care’s Big 5 Challenges Series — Special Edition Webinar

Get in touch with HSC Technology Group

At HSC Technology Group our purpose is to improve the quality of life, later in life — and we do this through technology. We’ve created the Talius™ platform that unites data from IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and devices in one place. Giving care providers unprecedented visibility into their business, and the wellbeing of their residents — in a way that’s scalable and adaptable, even when standards change.

Get in touch with HSC Technology today to see how we can help you, or book a free demonstration of the Talius™ platform.