Since July 2019, organisations providing Commonwealth subsidised aged care services are required to comply with the Aged Care Quality Standards. All providers, including community and disability care, are assessed and must provide evidence of their compliance. But more than a regulation, these refreshed standards provide opportunities for innovation to an often antiquated industry on how to comply and exceed the quality standards.
The pressure has got even bigger with the recent changes that now allow prospective customers to check a provider’s compliance with these standards through the My Aged Care government website. This transparency, combined with the upcoming Aged Care Royal Commission report publication on February 2021, requires providers to quickly achieve maximum compliance.
Here’s 4 ways to comply with the Aged Care Quality Standards with time and cost efficiency:
- Enable smart managed communication channels
A modern approach to care means aged, community and disability care providers can save time and costs by unifying multiple communication systems into a single intuitive space. Emerging and mobile technologies are now aged care best allies and multi-channel platforms that integrate and sync with other applications guarantee lower costs and high adoption efficiency. These solutions support providers in the creation of points of contact – calls and IVR (interactive voice response or automated phone systems), SMS, app – with clients, families and staff and to manage the volume of activities and enquiries received through each one in a smart and less costly way.
Aged Care Quality Standards addressed: consumer dignity and choice, personal and clinical care, services and supports for daily living
- Adjust to your consumer’s preferred points of contact
Every consumer is unique and deserves the opportunity to tailor their service to their own needs. Providers must allow clients to decide the who, what and when involved in service delivery. Full control over their care, ensuring autonomy and sense of self is crucial for people to receive dignity and respect with their care. To be available when and where – calls/IVR, SMS, app, social feeds, etc – your clients want to reach you also amplifies the sense of transparency, increases customer satisfaction and good feedback and eliminates communication noises. Refer to step 1 on how to establish and make it happen.
Aged Care Quality Standards addressed: consumer dignity and choice, personal and clinical care, services and supports for daily living, organisational governance
- Promote engagement and wellbeing
More than ever, providers need to foster ongoing relationships. Since support comes from a variety of different areas, the best way to connect and engage all those around it is through collaborative spaces that provide transparent involvement in the care plan to all relevant people.
With social features, clients are able to remain socially active and engaged within a community of their own whilst creating a shared space to collate knowledge and updates on their wellbeing. Care workers are able to keep providers immediately informed of any changes to physical, cognitive, or emotional wellbeing, allowing for immediate and tailored action to be taken.
Wellbeing extends beyond physical care though and with interactive tools in hand, clients can request services that also nurture social and spiritual wellbeing. This allows for appraisal on the delivery of services while enabling care teams to plan ahead with a clear understanding of the care plan.
Aged Care Quality Standards addressed: ongoing assessment and planning with consumers, personal and clinical care, services and supports for daily living, feedback and complaints, human resources, and organisational governance
- Automate feedback and evidence collection
With collaborative tools and channels, providers are able to stay involved in the provision of care and ensure that each client receives respect towards their identity, culture and diversity. They can also monitor and respond to requests from care teams and customers through their preferred communication channels.
This also facilitates a timely and effective feedback loop to verify if clients and staff are satisfied and ensure no surprises for care teams. The accessible shared customer knowledge makes staff feel informed and welcome.
Another upside of technology is that it is available around the clock. This means that feedback can occur at any time and at the point of service delivery, from clients, carers, and family members alike. This aspect is invaluable to providers as it allows continuous improvement to the management and services, as it happens – not weeks or months later.
In addition, with a better understanding of the changing needs of clients, providers can more easily communicate a message directly and immediately. These guarantee clients are always up-to-speed with the status of their support and the organisation is compliant every step of the way.
Aged Care Quality Standards addressed: feedback and complaints, human resources, organisational governance, organisation’s service environment, ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
Award-winning, chosen aged care technology
Hayylo is achieving 80% of acceptance rate from consumers – with 50% of them requesting Hayylo as their preferred communication channel over calls. We enable support teams across Australia to collaborate with real-time information that allows them to provide enhanced care.
Through branded and intuitive multi-channel communications and service management, Hayylo is proud to support aged, community and disability care providers achieve over 60% of these quality standards, ensuring optimal aged care with the touch of a button.
The platform also allows for easy reporting and collation of compliance requirements; further optimising and streamlining the providers operation and insights into their care and service provision.
Start a conversation with Hayylo and get compliant with the Aged Care Quality Standards in only 12 weeks.
