A clearer path to quality care: Understanding Star Ratings

For residential aged care workers, delivering high-quality care is at the heart of their profession. The Star Ratings tool offers an easy way for people to compare the quality of care at aged care homes nationally and encourages continual sector improvement.

Martin Freeman, general manager of a Queensland residential aged care home, highlights the benefits of the tool.

“With Star Ratings, you know the quality of care that a home will deliver and, as you can compare like with like, it can help to make the best decision for you or a loved one. And just having this bit of clarity is really, really powerful.”

What are Star Ratings?

Star Ratings help older people, their families, and carers to research and compare residential aged care homes across Australia. Homes are assigned an Overall Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) based on four key areas of care:

• Residents’ Experience: Feedback from about 20% of residents annually, gathered by an independent third-party survey team, on their overall experience.
  
• Compliance: Reflects whether homes meet their obligations to deliver safe, quality care. An aged care home with a 1 or 2 star Compliance rating will receive a 1 or 2 star Overall Star Rating respectively, even if they perform well in other sub-categories.
  
• Staffing: Measures care provided by nurses and personal care workers, against government-set minimum targets.
  
• Quality Measures: Tracks care indicators like falls and major injury, unplanned weight loss, pressure injuries, medication management, and restrictive practices.

Ratings are informed by data from residents, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and providers, and are updated regularly.

Why Star Ratings matters

Star Ratings are a critical recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety – enhancing transparency, accountability and care quality across the sector.

For aged care workers, the system offers clear goals and measurable benchmarks to guide improvements in care delivery. By addressing key areas of care – such as staffing levels and quality measures – aged care workers directly contribute to better outcomes for residents and their families.

For families, the system provides information to help inform decisions about aged care. Martin Freeman describes its value: “What the Star Ratings do is provide a common basis for making that assessment. And it’s important because you need confidence.”

Evidence of improvement

Nearly two years since its introduction, Star Ratings has driven a significant uplift in sector performance, with reporting indicating a 30 per cent increase in the number of aged care homes with 4 and 5 stars.

The Department of Health and Aged Care also reports that 69 per cent of all homes are now rated as delivering good or excellent care.

In a 2023 survey, 96 per cent of residents reported feeling safe in their homes, and 95 per cent said staff treated them with respect and kindness. These figures reflect the collective efforts of aged care workers and providers to meet and exceed expectations.

Find out more information about Star Ratings and access resources here.