The standards providers meet
The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards started on 1 November 2025, replacing the earlier standards. They describe the standard of care to expect from a provider, at home or in an aged care home, and there are seven:
- The individual
- The organisation
- The care and services
- The environment
- Clinical care
- Food and nutrition
- The residential community
Compared with the earlier standards, the Commission says they give more weight to food and nutrition, dementia care, diversity, governance and clinical care.
Which standards apply to which provider
Each provider is registered in a category from 1 to 6, based on the services it provides, and the category decides which standards it must meet.
| Category | Services, for example | Must meet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home and community services, for instance help around the house, home maintenance and repairs, meals, and transport | The Statement of Rights and the Code of Conduct; the Quality Standards do not apply |
| 2 | Assistive technology and home modifications | The Statement of Rights and the Code of Conduct; the Quality Standards do not apply |
| 3 | Advisory and support services, for instance social support, community engagement, and help with hoarding and squalor | The Statement of Rights and the Code of Conduct; the Quality Standards do not apply |
| 4 | Personal care or care support at home or in the community, for instance personal care, allied health and therapy, and respite at home or in the community | Standards 1 to 4 (and Outcome 5.1 for care management and restorative care management), the Statement of Rights and the Code of Conduct |
| 5 | Nursing care and assistance with transition care | Standards 1 to 5, the Statement of Rights and the Code of Conduct |
| 6 | Residential care, including respite | Standards 1 to 7, the Statement of Rights and the Code of Conduct |
The Commission also says the strengthened standards apply to providers that receive Australian Government funding and provide care that is complex and medium or high risk.
What a Support at Home provider must do
Under the Aged Care Act 2024, the Commission says, providers have these duties, in summary:
- understand the Statement of Rights, and have practices in place that make sure it is upheld
- back the person’s right to give feedback or complain, either to the provider or to the Commission
- provide care and services that meet the strengthened Quality Standards
- follow the Aged Care Code of Conduct, and make sure their workers and responsible persons follow it too
The Commission’s website has a search for information about registered providers, including compliance information.
Where a concern goes
My Aged Care sorts concerns by what they are about, and each has its own first stop.
| The concern is about | First | If it is not resolved |
|---|---|---|
| The care or services a provider gives | The provider, if the person feels comfortable; every provider has its own complaints process | The Complaints Commissioner at the Commission |
| A provider’s prices | Ask the provider to talk the prices through | A complaint to the Commission |
| How the assessment was done | The assessment organisation, whose details are in the Notice of Decision | My Aged Care |
| The assessment decision itself | An internal review by the Department, within 28 days (see Tab 2) | The Administrative Review Tribunal |
| The service from My Aged Care | My Aged Care, by phone or post; a concern not resolved on the call gets a complaint reference number | The My Aged Care support email listed on that page |
| How a contribution was calculated | Services Australia, or DVA for people it assesses | My Aged Care also lists booking an Aged Care Specialist Officer |
After following the relevant process, someone still unhappy with the outcome or with how their complaint was handled can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Complaining to the Commission
Complaints and concerns about aged care1800 951 822Or online, through the Commission’s website.
- Anyone can make a complaint, and the service is free.
- It can be made anonymously, confidentially or openly.
- The Complaints Commissioner can be contacted even if the person has not spoken with the provider first.
- The Commission says a complaint can lift the quality of care and help others facing the same problem.
Help to raise a concern or make a complaint comes free and confidential from the Older Persons Advocacy Network, which can also act on the person’s behalf.
OPAN1800 700 600OPAN’s website
The Statement of Rights includes the right to complain without fear of reprisal.
The Act also brought increased protections for whistleblowers, the people who call out issues, which the Commission explains on its pages for older people. The rights themselves are on Tab 6.