Nursing homes have a lot of room to improve, ratings tool finds

A new star rating system puts underperforming aged care homes on notice while helping older Australians and their families choose which home to enter.

The federal government has released ratings for every aged care home in Australia – rating them out of five stars.

The Star Ratings system was a key recommendation of the Aged Care Royal Commission.

The ratings found many aged care homes meet or exceed expectations – with 31 percent receiving 4 or 5 stars.

However, 10 per cent, or 1 in 10, homes fell short and received just 1 or 2 stars.

Around 26 homes, or one per cent, received just one star when assessed on a variety of things including staffing levels, food quality, and the use of physical restraints. The star system shows these homes need ‘significant improvement’. Nine per cent received two stars and need ‘improvement’.

• 1 per cent of all aged care facilities in Australia received one star
• 9 per cent received two stars
• 59 per cent received three stars
• 30 per cent received four stars
• 1 per cent received five stars

Most aged care facilities were sitting in the middle of the scale, with 59% of providers receiving 3 stars. However, the Daily Telegraph reports that many homes on the My Aged Care website do not have a rating because they are currently in dispute with the Department of Health.

Australian Capital Territory

Of the 27 rated aged care homes, none had received one star, but one received two stars - Villaggio Sant Antonio Hostel in Page.

There were also no five-star facilities listed at time of publication.

New South Wales

The Telegraph reports that in NSW, 13 aged care homes received one star and 105 received two stars, meaning 14 per cent of the 814 rated homes in the state were sub-par.

Four homes received five stars – about 0.5 per cent of all NSW facilities.

Northern Territory

No aged care homes had yet received one star, but two received two stars. This means 25 per cent of the eight rated aged care homes in the territory were sub-par.

No homes received five stars.

Queensland

One aged care home received one star - St Nicholas Aged Care in Highgate Hill, Brisbane - while 22 received two stars, meaning 5 per cent of the 458 rated aged care homes in the state were sub-par.

Five homes received five stars. They were Bowder Care Centre, Anglicare SQ St Martin’s Nursing Home, Brighton Health Campus (Gannet House), Milton House, and Leslie Place Aged Persons Hostel.

South Australia

Four aged care homes received one star and 14 received two stars, meaning 8 per cent of the 216 rated aged care homes in the state were sub-par.

One home received five stars – Kara House in Clare.

Tasmania

No aged care homes had yet received one star but six received two stars, meaning 8 per cent of the 71 rated aged care homes in the state were sub-par.

One home received five stars – Midlands Multipurpose Health Centre in Oatlands.

Victoria

Three aged care homes received one star and 42 received two stars, meaning 6 per cent of the 722 rated aged care homes in the state were sub-par.

Eight homes, however, received five stars – about 1 per cent of all Victorian facilities.

They were Riverview Aged Care, Birchip Nursing Home, St Paul’s Hostel for the Elderly, Sheridan Aged Care, Carinya Nursing Home (Frankston Extended Care), Hopetoun Nursing Home, Hopetoun Hostel, and Villa Maria Catholic Homes Justin Villa Aged Care Residence.

Western Australia

Two aged care homes received one star and 21 received two stars, meaning about 10 per cent of the 242 rated aged care homes in the state were sub-par.

Two homes, however, received five stars. They were Regents Garden Four Seasons Booragoon and Residency by Dillons Fremantle.

National Seniors Australia Chief Advocate, Ian Henschke, says the new Star Ratings provide a reference point for people so long as they understand what the ratings mean.

“It will take some time for the data to become meaningful and for people to understand how this system differs from the general star rating system we associate with hotel accommodation,” Mr Henschke said.

For example, a three-star rating for a hotel is one that delivers a broad range of amenities that exceed above-average accommodation needs and good quality service, design and physical attributes that are typically fit for purpose to match guest expectations.

“But in Aged Care three stars means it’s ‘acceptable’ and that could be an aged care home with an improvement notice on it,” Mr Henschke said.

Aged care consumers of each individual provider were interviewed to inform the resident experience section of the star ratings, while compliance audits and provider reporting on quality indicators and care minutes form the rest of the rating.

The ratings measure:

• Compliance – based on non-compliance decisions made by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission reported daily.
• Residents’ Experience – at least 10% of older Australians living in residential aged care homes are interviewed face-to-face about their overall experience at their residential aged care home by a third-party vendor annually.
• Staffing minutes – derived from reporting under the Quarterly Financial Report and Annual Financial report, case-mix adjusted through the Australian National Aged Care Classification and reported quarterly.
• Quality Measures – data on five existing quality indicators (pressure injuries, physical restraint, unplanned weight loss, falls and major injury, and medication management) reported quarterly.

You can find a range of resources on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website about Star Ratings including fact sheets, frequently asked questions, and a detailed provider manual.