Key Considerations for Standard 3: Care and Services

Standard 3: Care and Services has a focus on the way providers must deliver care and services to older people and is underpinned by Standard 1: The Person of the Strengthened Aged Care Standards.

Meeting the Standard 3: Care and Services is paramount for ensuring the provision of person-centred, trauma-aware, and healing-informed care and services to older individuals. This standard encompasses several crucial key concepts that are essential for delivering high-quality care:

1. Effective Assessment, Planning, and Coordination: This involves thorough assessment processes to understand the individual needs, preferences, and goals of older persons. It also includes developing comprehensive care plans and coordinating services to ensure holistic care delivery.
2. Communication and Engagement: Effective communication with older individuals is vital for ensuring they are actively involved in decisions regarding their care and services. Engaging with them in a respectful and empathetic manner enhances the quality of care provided.
3. Dignity of Risk: Respecting the dignity of risk means acknowledging an older person’s autonomy and right to make choices, even if they involve certain risks. Managing these risks in a way that upholds the individual’s dignity is crucial.
4. Robust Risk Assessment Framework: Implementing a robust framework for assessing risks ensures that potential hazards are identified early, allowing for timely intervention and prevention of adverse outcomes.
5. Reablement: Focusing on reablement emphasises promoting independence and functional abilities in older individuals, enabling them to maintain or regain their skills and autonomy.
6. Worker Continuity: Consistent care from familiar workers fosters trust and continuity in the care provided, enhancing the overall well-being of older persons.
7. Recognition of Deterioration: Recognising signs of deterioration in older individuals is essential for early intervention and appropriate adjustments to care plans to meet changing needs effectively.

When an older person interacts with care services under Standard 3, they can expect:

• Culturally Safe, Trauma-Aware, and Healing-Informed Care: Services that are sensitive to cultural backgrounds, trauma experiences, and healing processes, ensuring a supportive and inclusive care environment.
• Effective Clinical Situations Management: Care that is responsive to various clinical scenarios, with clear escalation and referral processes in place to address complex or urgent situations promptly.
• Tailored Care to Individual Needs: Personalised care plans that are tailored to meet the unique needs, preferences, and goals of each older person, promoting a customised and effective care experience.

Standard 3: Care and Services comprises four key outcomes that guide the delivery of care:

1. Assessment and Planning: Thorough assessment processes to understand the older person’s physical, emotional, and social needs, followed by the development of personalised care plans that align with their goals and preferences.
2. Delivery of Care and Services: Ensuring the implementation of care plans in a manner that upholds the principles of person-centred care, trauma awareness, and healing-informed practices, promoting the well-being and independence of older individuals.
3. Communicating for Safety and Quality: Establishing clear communication channels among care providers, older persons, and their families to enhance safety, quality, and transparency in care delivery, fostering trust and collaboration.
4. Coordination of Care and Services: Facilitating seamless coordination among healthcare professionals, support workers, and other service providers to ensure a holistic approach to care that addresses all aspects of an older person’s well-being.

By adhering to the principles and outcomes outlined in Standard 3: Care and Services, providers can enhance the quality of care delivered to older individuals, promoting their autonomy, dignity, and overall well-being in a person-centred and culturally sensitive manner.