Aged Care Quality Standards: Standard 5 – Clinical Care
The Commission has developed a standard (Standard 5) on clinical care, one of seven strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. These standards are regulated by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and come into effect July 2025 as subordinate legislation in the new rights based Aged Care Act 2025. The focus is to protect older people from harm and improve their clinical care.
New resources
2024Guide, user guide or guidelinesThis Guide supports implementation of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and supplements the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare for the aged care workforce and those providing care for older people. The Guide outlines the basic principles of infection prevention and control and explains how to apply these principles using a risk-based approach.
2024Guide, user guide or guidelines
2024Publication, report or update
Standard 5 - Clinical Care
The Clinical Care components of the Quality Standards provide a nationally consistent statement on the level of clinical care older people can expect when receiving aged care. It aims to protect older people from harm and improve the quality of clinical care delivered by Commonwealth subsidised aged care services.
The clinical care components are seen as integral to the delivery of high-quality and safe aged care. The standards in the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards are:
The outcomes for Standard 5 - Clinical Care are:
- 5.1 Clinical governance
- 5.2 Preventing and controlling infection in clinical care
- 5.3 Safe and quality use of medicines
- 5.4 Comprehensive care
- 5.5 Clinical safety
- 5.6 Cognitive impairment
- 5.7 Palliative and end-of-life care
Standard 5 - Guidance
The Commission drafted guidance to support implementation of Standard 5. This is published and maintained by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Australian fall prevention guidelines
The Commission is updating the 2009 best practice guidelines on preventing falls and harm from falls in older people in residential aged care services, community care and hospitals (Australian Fall Guidelines). These Guidelines are widely referenced, including in guidance for the Aged Care Quality Standards and the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.
Aged Care Infection Prevention and Control Guide
A supplementary resource to the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare for aged care is published on our website. This work translates the key principles of IPC to aged care settings.
The resources include:
Background
The Quality Standards are designed to provide a shared understanding of what is expected in aged care.
In March 2021, the Australian Government announced an urgent review of Quality Standards in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report: Care, Dignity and Respect (Royal Commission).
The Royal Commission identified several areas of focus for the urgent review including:
- governance
- diversity
- dementia
- food and nutrition, and
- clinical care
In July 2021, the Commission was given responsibility for the review and formulation of draft clinical standards for inclusion in the Quality Standards in collaboration with the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The clinical standards are contained in Standard 5 - Clinical Care.
The transfer of the responsibility to the Commission also accords with the Government’s response to recommendation 18.1.b of the Royal Commission.
Recommendation 19 of the Royal Commission required an urgent review of the Quality Standards be undertaken including consideration of several critical clinical care issues such as medication management, oral health, pressure injury prevention and wound management, continence, falls prevention and mobility, nutrition, infection control, dementia and palliative care.
The Commission committed to a rigorous standards development process and the promotion of safe and high-quality clinical care.
The project enjoyed the input of the:
- Aged Care Advisory Group (2024-25)
- Executive steering group (2022-2025)
- Clinical Expert Working Group (2022-2024)
- Aged Care Advisory Committee (2022-2024)
- expertise with-in the Commission and the wider aged care stakeholder community
- other government agencies and program areas including the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
More information
For more information on the Aged Care Quality Standards and the aged care reform agenda, visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission website.
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