Aged care facilities’ star rating trending upward

Forty-one more aged care facilities have been awarded top marks in the government's star rating system following its first major update since December.

The October to December quarter update revealed an additional 34 facilities received five stars and seven a four-star rating.

Thirty per cent fewer homes delivered substandard care, dropping from 8 to 5 per cent since the system's launch in December 2022.

"I'm pleased we're seeing incremental improvements in the ratings, but there's a lot more work to be done in aged care," Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said.

"I encourage providers to continue to look at ways they can improve the care they offer."

The new data showed 13 fewer services were marked one star compared to the previous quarter.

An additional seven homes received four stars, and 34 more five stars.

The star rating system was introduced following the Royal Commission response bill's assent to improve transparency and accountability in the sector.

The tool marks facilities on a one-to-five star rating in My Aged Care, where the highest score means a home delivers 'good' or 'excellent' quality service and three 'acceptable.'

The experience of aged care residents is one of the four key performance indicators, accounting for 33 per cent of the overall star rating.

Another 30 per cent is determined by a provider's compliance, 22 per cent by staffing minutes and 15 per cent by quality indicators.

"Star Ratings offers insider access for the first time to those it impacts most – older people and their families," Ms Well said.

"Star Ratings helps providers identify areas where they need to improve – and to monitor that improvement over time.

"Everyone can now check how a particular service is performing and use that knowledge to choose the best residential care for themselves or their loved one."

In the previous quarter, 31 per cent of aged care providers received a four or five-star rating, and 60 per cent obtained three stars.

Ten per cent of the aged care services did not meet the quality standards, receiving one or two stars.

Now, 2 per cent of Australia's homes were rated five stars (54 facilities) and 39 per cent (964 facilities) were marked four stars.

Fifty-four per cent of aged care homes received three stars (1,357 facilities), and five per cent two stars (119 facilities).

Six homes obtained a one-star rating.

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