Australians considering aged care for themselves or a family member can now view a facility's compliance rating on the My Aged Care website.
The Service Compliance Rating system is found in the Find a Provider tool and uses a one to four star rating process reflecting the service's current compliance position. It officially went live on July 1.
The ratings are derived from results against the new Aged Care Quality Standards, current non-compliance notices and current sanctions and notices to agree.
One dot means the service is under sanction and is inadequate, two dots means significant improvements are needed, three dots some improvement is needed and four dots the facility meets requirements.
According to the Federal Government the new system provides an easy and effective way for older Australians and their families to consider and compare the quality of care provided by Government subsidised residential aged care services, and to support informed decision making.
However, some seniors' advocates are less than impressed with the system with Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association describing it as "not a rating of excellence but a rating of appallingness".
It would like to see one or two more dots so that people looking for a place in a nursing home could pick a good one (five dots) or an excellent one (six dots).
Industry peak Leading Aged Services Australia believes the rating system is an "important first step".
"Providers are focused on delivering quality care and this system should clearly reflect these broader efforts, not just whether they are complying with the regulations."
- Sean Rooney
Chief Executive Sean Rooney said, "however, there needs to be extensive work going forward, to broaden the quality indicators and ensure compliance ratings evolve into more holistic indicators that will help people choose the service that best meets their needs".
"Providers are focused on delivering quality care and this system should clearly reflect these broader efforts, not just whether they are complying with the regulations."
Mr Rooney recommends people follow up the use of the current ratings system information with in-depth conversations with prospective aged care services, particularly if they have concerns about the compliance rating.
Aged and Community Services Australia which represents many of the country's not-for-profit aged care providers believes the new ratings will make aged care "more transparent".
The new system will give potential residents and their families information in a simple format which will help them choose the right aged care provider for them, and that can only be a good thing," said chief executive Pat Sparrow.
"The compliance rating system is a good starting point and can be improved over time with the addition of clinical and quality of life satisfaction indicators."
Further information on a nursing home's performance can be found on the My Aged Care website by searching by facility name or location and service required, then clicking on the name of the facility and then on Quality which will show how the facility performed against eight quality standards.