Review audits
What is a review audit?
A review audit is an onsite assessment of the quality of care provided to residents by a residential aged care home measured against the Accreditation Standards. Review audits are conducted by an assessment team of at least two assessors.
Review audits may be announced or unannounced. They involve a complete review of the residential aged care home’s systems against all 44 expected outcomes of the Accreditation Standards.
Why are review audits conducted?
A review audit may be conducted if:
- during a support contact a timetable for improvement expires and the residential aged care home has been found to not comply with the Accreditation Standards
- during a support contact major non-compliance is found (four or more non-compliant expected outcomes)
- non-compliance is suspected
- there is a change to the residential aged care home which the approved provider must tell the Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing (DHA), for example, change in provider or key personnel
- there is a transfer of allocated places
- there is a change to the premises of the residential aged care home
- DHA directs us to undertake a review audit.
What is the process for a review audit?
A brief summary of the process is as follows:
- a site audit is conducted by an assessment team
- the assessment team writes a report which includes recommendations regarding the residential aged care home’s level of compliance and possible variation or revocation of the residential aged care home’s accreditation
- a decision-maker, separate from the team, makes a decision on the residential aged care home’s level of compliance and any change to the residential aged care home’s accreditation status
- the approved provider is informed of the decision
- the Department of Health and Ageing is informed
- the decision and report are published on the Agency’s website.
It is the responsibility of the approved provider to demonstrate the residential aged care home complies with the Accreditation Standards. Please be aware that providing false or misleading information is a serious offence under the Criminal Codes Act 1995.
How are residents involved in a review audit?
The assessment team interviews at least 10% of residents or their representatives during a review audit.
Residential aged care homes should tell residents/representatives about the outcomes of a review audit, including information on non-compliance, serious risk and sanctions.
What are the possible outcomes of a review audit?
A review audit may result the following decisions:
- to vary the residential aged care home’s accreditation
- to revoke the residential aged care home’s accreditation
- not to revoke the residential aged care home’s accreditation
- not to change the residential aged care home’s accreditation.
What does ‘to vary’ mean?
If a residential aged care home fails to comply with the Accreditation Standards, the residential aged care home’s accreditation expiry date may be varied. The decision-maker will determine when a full audit is required and set an expiry date to enable that to happen.
If there are any findings of non-compliance, a timetable for improvement (TFI) is set. More information on non-compliance and timetables for improvement.
What does ‘to revoke’ mean?
If a residential aged care home has major non-compliance or serious risk to the health, wellbeing and safety of residents, the residential aged care home’s accreditation may be immediately revoked and the residential aged care home would no longer be eligible for government subsidies.
What does ‘not to revoke’ or ‘not to vary’ mean?
This means the residential aged care home will continue to be accredited and the accreditation expiry date will remain the same.
Although generally a decision not to revoke/not to vary is made if the residential aged care home does not have any non-compliance, a decision not to revoke/not to vary may be made if there is some non-compliance, depending on the individual circumstances of each residential aged care home. If there are any findings of non-compliance, a timetable for improvement (TFI) is set. More information on non-compliance and timetables for improvement.
Can the decision be reconsidered or appealed?
The approved provider can request that we reconsider decisions about review audits. The approved provider can also seek ‘review’ or ‘appeal’ by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on some decisions. More information on reconsideration and appeal.
What is made publicly available after a review audit?
Review audit decisions and reports are available on our website. To access a report go to Reports on homes.
