Aged Care Governance 2023 - the challenge of management knowledge and Board accountability

1 July 2023 is a significant date in terms of aged care governance. 

Within 4 months of that date, most aged care provider organisations (those whose ‘reporting period’ concludes on 30 June) will be required to give their first statement (compliance statement) as to whether the organisation has complied with all of its legislative responsibilities during the 12 month reporting period. If the compliance statement indicates that the provider has not complied with all of its responsibilities, then it must also identify the details of the failure to comply and actions taken in response.

The compliance statement must be signed by a member of the board, on behalf of all members.  Information provided in the compliance statement may be made publicly available.  1 July 2023 also marks the commencement of the 24/7 registered nurse requirement (RN requirement) – and the obligation of providers to give monthly reports on compliance with that requirement. If there has been non-compliance, the provider must state the period of non-compliance and the arrangements made to ensure that the clinical needs of residents were met during that period.

These monthly reports are not ‘signed off’ by the board, but like the compliance statement, the information may be made publicly available.

In this episode, we discuss these new reporting requirements and some of the practical issues that they give rise to, including reputational considerations, materiality thresholds, board procedures for signing off on reports and collective accountability. 

A Briefing on these issues can be downloaded here: Briefing - Aged care compliance 2023 - the challenge of management knowledge and Board accountability

Disclaimer: This podcast and related resources are for general information only and are not to be relied on as legal or other advice.  Please consult with your legal advisor for advice about your particular circumstances