Approaches to improving quality in nursing and residential homes: Recent developments in Australia and their relevance to the UK

Abstract

Concerns about quality and standards of care in the nursing and residential home sector have exercised policymakers, managers and practitioners in both Australia and the UK for some years. While Australia is a relatively young country, demographically speaking, it has in place a coherent ‘aged care’ policy. The UK on the other hand, with its rapidly ageing profile, has only recently made a serious policy commitment to the health and social care agenda for older people. Australia therefore has several years of experience to be shared with the UK when it comes to policy and practice of quality improvement. In particular, there are valuable lessons to be learnt from Australia's national outcome standards and monitoring system for care homes, and its more recent introduction of a care homes accreditation system. Apart from identifying any issues associated with the implementation of such approaches to quality improvement, it is important to establish whether they have an impact on the quality of care and life of older residents. As the UK moves to implementing national minimum standards in 2002, lessons from Australia are timely and may help inform best practice and policy in long‐term care in the future.

Citation

Bartlett, H. and Boldy, D. (2001), "Approaches to improving quality in nursing and residential homes: Recent developments in Australia and their relevance to the UK", Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1108/14717794200100018