The New Aged Care Standards: A Digital Feedback and Complaints Management System is Now Imperative

The pilot audits for the revamped Aged Care Quality Standards are nearing completion, and we want to offer you a focused glimpse into the changes, particularly concerning feedback and complaints management. "Feedback and Complaints" is no longer a separate standard; now, it's integrated into 6 of the 7 new standards. This aligns perfectly with our longstanding belief: feedback is at the core of quality care. Specifically, section 2.6 of the proposed new standards outlines detailed requirements for managing feedback and complaints. So, can these multifaceted standards realistically be met with old-fashioned, paper-based systems? Spoiler alert: NO. As the sector leans more into digitization, having a digital feedback and complaints management system is not just an advantage—it's an absolute necessity.

The Evolving Standards

The new aged care standards make it abundantly clear: feedback and complaints are not peripheral issues. They are central to the continuous improvement of care and must be embedded in various aspects of an organisation's operations. Feedback is explicitly listed as an element of six of the new standards and implied in the seventh:

1. The Person - actions 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.4.1 and 1.4.2.
2. The Organisation - actions 2.2.2, 2.3.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.4, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.5, 2.5.6, 2.6.1, 2.6.2, 2.6.3, 2.6.4, 2.6.5, 2.6.6, 2.7.1, 2.7.4, 2.9.1 and 2.9.5.
3. The Care & Services - action 3.3.3.
4. The Environment - actions 4.2.1 and 4.2.2.
5. Clinical Care - actions 5.1.1, 5.2.2 and 5.3.7
6. Food & Nutrition - action 6.1.1 and 6.1.2
7. The Residential Community - actions implied only.

Further, section 2.6 states explicit actions for the outcome:

Older people and others are encouraged and supported to provide feedback and make complaints about care and services. Feedback and complaints are acknowledged, managed transparently and contribute to the continuous improvement of care and services. Older people and others can complain without reprisal.

The specific actions are:

• 2.6.1 - Providers must establish a system to handle complaints that includes receiving, recording, responding to, and reporting them.
• 2.6.2 - Providers are responsible for actively encouraging feedback and complaints from all stakeholders, including the elderly, their families, carers, and staff.
• 2.6.3 - Providers must empower older individuals by giving them access to advocates, language services, and various methods to submit and resolve feedback and complaints.
• 2.6.4 - Providers are required to resolve complaints promptly and to openly disclose any issues or failures that occur.
• 2.6.5 - Providers need to collect and analyze data from feedback and complaints, and report the outcomes to both governance bodies and those directly involved in care. This data should also be used to inform improvements to the quality of care and services.
• 2.6.6 - Providers must regularly assess and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their complaints management system.

Meeting such multifaceted and stringent requirements necessitates a level of efficiency and sophistication that paper-based systems are ill-equipped to provide.

The Limitations of Paper-Based Systems

Lack of Timely Responses. With paper-based systems, complaints and feedback forms often lie in stacks of paperwork, waiting to be processed. This delay contradicts the new standard's call for "timely action."

• Data Fragmentation. Collecting and analysing data from paper forms is labour-intensive and error-prone. Section 2.6.5 specifically demands data analytics to inform continuous improvement, a task virtually impossible to accomplish manually in an effective manner.
• Insufficient Monitoring. Regular reviews and ongoing improvements, as set out in standard 2.6.6, require constant access to up-to-date information. A paper-based system cannot offer this level of real-time monitoring.

Why Digital Systems are Crucial

• Centralised Management. Digital systems like Tell Touch, designed explicitly for aged care, centralise complaints and feedback. Everything is in one place, accessible at the click of a button, ensuring compliance with standard 2.6.1.
• Real-Time Action. Digital systems enable immediate acknowledgement of feedback and quick action, aligning with the requirements of standard 2.6.4.
• Data Analytics. Digital systems allow for advanced data analytics, meeting the standards' requirement for continuous improvement through informed data analysis.
• Consistency and Transparency. Digital systems ensure that the same set of protocols are followed for each complaint, making the process transparent and auditable, thereby satisfying governance requirements.

Conclusion

The new "strengthened" aged care standards in Australia are designed to make feedback and complaints management more integrated and effective than ever before. As noble as these objectives are, they are virtually unattainable through outdated, paper-based methods. Digital solutions like Tell Touch not only fulfil the modern requirements set forth by these new standards but also set the foundation for a continually improving aged care environment. Adopting a digital feedback and complaints management system is no longer just a forward-thinking move; it is a compliance necessity.