The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) has stepped up assessments of aged care homes failing to meet care minute targets, with 37% of those issued ‘enforceable undertakings’ last December for significant shortfalls still subject to these arrangements.
According to the latest Sector Performance Report for the March 2025 quarter, the ACQSC conducted 562 risk-based residential aged care assessments – where the Commission has received data that indicates consumers could be at risk of harm – more than double the number conducted the previous quarter.
More than half of the risk-based assessments were focused on providers' compliance with care minutes targets.
Of the 562 risk-based assessments, 326 were related to 'workforce responsibilities', which includes compliance with 24/7 RN and care minute targets.
The 59-page Report states, "In Q3, we contacted 306 services to monitor how they were complying with their mandatory care minute targets.
"Most of these contacts focused on providers and services with large gaps against their care minutes targets.
"As a result, we increased our supervision of 14 providers operating 76 services."
10 operators still with enforceable undertakings
The Commission continues to "actively supervise" providers that it entered into enforceable undertakings with in December 2024 for "ongoing and significant care minute shortfalls".
Of the 27 homes issued with enforceable undertakings last December, 10 remain under the arrangement, including:
- TriCare Cypress Gardens Aged Care Residence
- Hahndorf Holdings Pty Ltd - Rose Court
- Hahndorf Holdings Pty Ltd - Klemzig
- Hahndorf Holdings Pty Ltd - Churchill
- Hahndorf Holdings Pty Ltd - Christies Beach
- Infinite Aged Care (Cornubia) Pty Ltd
- Menarock Aged Care Services
- Wickro Pty Ltd
- Farwell Nominees
- Glenview Community Services Inc
New penalties starting April 2026
The increased regulatory focus comes ahead of new financial penalties for metropolitan providers that fail to meet mandatory care minute targets, which take effect in April 2026 based on data submitted by providers for the December 2025 quarter.
You can read the ACQSC's Sector Performance Report here.
You can see the list of homes with enforceable undertakings here.
