A Guide to the Strengthened Aged Care Standards
Despite delays, Australia’s aged care system is set to undergo a significant transformation. The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards will come into effect under the new Aged Care Act on 1 November 2025, marking the biggest reforms in aged care in around three decades.
Originally slated for release on 1 July 2025, the strengthened Aged Care Standards were pushed back due to concerns about the timeline for implementation.
In this guide, you’ll find:
- A breakdown of the strengthened Aged Care Standards
- Insights into dignity of risk and person-centred care
- Star Ratings and their importance in aged care delivery
- How to prepare for the strengthened Aged Care Standards
What are the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards?
The 2018 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety reviewed the current aged care system and identified key challenges. The final report—published in 2021—highlighted a system riddled with substandard care, abuse, neglect, and accessibility concerns.
The new Aged Care Act and the Standards were developed in response to these recommendations, aiming to provide a person-centred and rights-based approach for aged care providers.
The strengthened Quality Standards will serve as a regulatory framework to ensure that aged care services act in partnership with older people, recognise their rights, and empower them to have a voice.
The most significant change is the number of standards. Currently, the existing standards comprise eight standards (which will be phased out):
- Standard 1. Consumer dignity and choice
- Standard 2. Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
- Standard 3. Personal care and clinical care
- Standard 4. Services and supports for daily living
- Standard 5. Organisation's service environment
- Standard 6. Feedback and complaints
- Standard 7. Human resources
- Standard 8. Organisational governance
The Strengthened Standards will have seven standards:
- Standard 1: The Strengthened Standards
- Standard 2: The Person
- Standard 3: The Organisation
- Standard 4: The Care and Services
- Standard 5: The Environment
- Standard 6: Clinical Care
- Standard 7: Food and Nutrition
- Standard 7: The Residential Community
Each Standard also comes with an explanation of intent and an expectation statement to help clarify how providers should interpret and apply the Standards and outline what older people can expect from the services they receive. The strengthened Standards will also have measurable outcomes, which makes them easier to implement.
READ MORE:
- From Compliance to Compassion: The Real Reason Behind Aged Care Reforms
- 2024/25 Federal Budget Breakdown: NDIS and Aged Care
How are the strengthened Standards different?
Beyond the changes in the number of Standards, there are more obvious differences between the old and the new Standards.
Firstly, the reason for having fewer Standards is part of the effort to make them easier to understand, so providers and workers can be clearer about their obligations.
They will also be more relevant, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more person-centred and focused approach. The Standards and their requirements will then differ from aged provider to provider based on the nature of the services provided and registration levels. In doing so, the goal is to help aged care providers have clearer, more measurable actions to implement.
Apart from Standards 4 and 7, the strengthened Standards have updated requirements. For aged care providers, this means adapting their existing organisational policies, procedures, and practices to meet the requirements of the strengthened Standards.
The biggest takeaways from these updated requirements are a stronger focus on continuous improvement, dementia care, and food and nutrition.
Note: aged care providers do not have to meet the requirements of every Standard; they only have to meet those relevant to the specific nature of the services they provide and their registration level.
READ MORE: What Are The Changes To The Aged Care Quality Standards?
What is person-centred care?
Person-centred care means putting the person receiving care at the centre of everything. Person-centred care means viewing the person as an individual with their own preferences, needs, identity, and goals for their care.
This change reflects the shift towards a cultural and regulatory model that is person-centred and rights-based, viewing older people’s emotional, spiritual, and psychological wellbeing as important to how the care is delivered.
Standard 1: The Person emphasises this and is intertwined with the other six Standards—meaning, each activity set out under each Standard must always relate back to Standard 1: The Person.
What is dignity of risk?
Dignity of risk refers to the right people have in making decisions, even if those choices may involve some risk. In other words, older people have the right to choose how to live their lives, including making reckless, risky, or wrong decisions.
Dignity of risk is clearly outlined under Standard 1: The Person, which requires aged care providers to respect older people’s choices, uphold their right to dignity of risk, and support older people in taking positive risks.
It aligns with person-centred care, ensuring older people can take positive risks that increase their independence, choices, and quality of life.
READ MORE: Understanding Dignity of Risk in Aged Care and Disability Support
What are Star Ratings?
The Australian government introduced Star Ratings for residential aged care to enhance transparency and empower consumers to make informed decisions about their care.
Aged care requirements can sometimes be complex and challenging to understand, so the rating system allows older people, their families, and their communities to easily compare facilities based on key performance indicators.
How can you comply and boost your rating? Well, that’s where the strengthened Aged Care Standards come into play.
Beyond compliance, mapping your operations and practices to these Standards positively affects your Star Rating. Older people’s experience and compliance account for 33% and 30% of your overall rating, respectively. To get a higher rating, compliance with the Standards is vital: you must ensure all your policies, procedures, and practices are mapped to the Standards.
Non-compliance can lead to penalties and lower ratings.
READ MORE: Understanding Star Ratings in Aged Care
How can I prepare?
To meet the expectations of the strengthened Standards, aged care training is critical. Whether providing home or residential aged care services, your team must have the relevant skills and knowledge to fully comply and deliver quality, person-centred care.
It’s also a requirement under the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, with Standard 4: The Environment outlining the need for workers to have the time, support, resources, and ability to manage risk.
We recommend completing our free course, Preparing for the Strengthened Quality Standards. It unpacks the key changes and what they mean for aged care professionals.
Beyond this course, our Aged Care training solution offers a wide range of topics to help you take your first steps towards compliance. Each course has been developed in partnership with Carers Queensland, who lend their subject matter expertise to create practical, relevant, on-the-job training.
What’s more, your team can gain up to 24 CPD Points.* Get in touch with our team and explore our training solutions.
*Subject to the library/specific courses taken. Please note that CPD is relevant as of the time of writing and may be subject to change as our library continues to grow.
READ MORE: etrainu Releases a New Aged Care eLibrary in Line with the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards
Resources
Check out these resources for extra information to help you prepare for the strengthened Aged Care Standards:
- Statement of Rights Fact Sheet: get a summary of what rights older people have when accessing aged care services.
- Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards – August 2025: read all the details about the strengthened Standards.
- Star Rating resources: for more information about Star Ratings in aged care.
- Case studies: for help with applying the Standards to your services.
- SIRS decision support tool: for help with reporting serious incidents.
- Incident Management Flowchart: use this chart to understand what steps you need to take when reporting a serious incident.
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