In Australia, residential aged care homes and retirement homes are required to be accredited to receive Australian Government subsidies.

An independent accreditation body, called the Accreditation Agency, assesses nursing homes’ performance against a set of legislated Accreditation Standards.

The Act of Parliament that contains the rules that govern accreditation is long and involved, and its various appendices include detailed guidelines about sanitary conditions, food, exercise and activities, as well as other aspects of aged care. A special government appointed Accreditation Agency undertakes at least one unannounced visit each year to each aged care facility and provides site audits, follow up support contacts and review audits as required.

If the Agency decides to not accredit, or not to re-accredit an aged care facility or nursing home, it must tell the provider of that service the reasons for the decision: the date the revocation takes effect; any areas in which improvements would be necessary to meet the Accreditation Standards in relation to the service; the arrangements for assessment contacts; and how the approved provider may apply for reconsideration of the decision to revoke the existing accreditation.

By law, the Accreditation Agency team must meet at least 10 per cent of the residents of the nursing care home, or the residents’ representatives, during the site audit to discuss the care and services they are receiving. In short, if followed to the letter, there are safeguards in place to assure that aged care providers receive a stamp of approval from the residents themselves. It is the aim of accreditation to ensure that aged care facilities are a safe, comfortable option alongside home care services.