Latest QI data reveals shift in residential aged care
- Hospital presentations: Emergency department presentations have increased
- Improvements: Pressure injuries, major falls, unplanned weight loss have declined
- Resident feedback: More report good quality of life
- Home care gap: Support at Home QIs commenced November 2025
Residential aged care Quality Indicator data for the March 2026 quarter, spanning 19 quarters, points to a troubling trend in emergency department admissions.
The report, released on 17 July, shows a “statistically significant” increase in the proportion of aged care residents experiencing ‘emergency department presentations’ and ‘emergency department presentations or hospital admissions’.
According to information provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the data does not include virtual presentations. An emergency department admission is defined as a presentation beginning when a patient arrives at the emergency department and is registered and triaged.
It is unclear what is behind the trend. More junior nurses driving referrals to hospital or the fact that doctors are harder to get to visit residential aged care homes have been offered as suggestions. The shift could also be due to residents living with more complex health conditions.
In other data, for the period from July-September 2021 to January-March 2026, there has been a significant decrease in:
- the proportion of residents experiencing one or more pressure injuries;
- significant unplanned weight loss;
- consecutive unplanned weight loss;
- falls that resulted in major injury;
- polypharmacy;
- antipsychotic medication use;
- incontinence; and
- in the proportion of workforce turnover.
However, there has been no significant change in:
- the proportion of residents experiencing restrictive practices,
- restrictive practice through the use of a secure area,
- falls,
- a decline in activities of daily living, or
- incontinence associated dermatitis.
There has also been a significant increase in the proportion of residents reporting ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ consumer experience and quality of life.
From 1 November 2025, registered providers delivering Support at Home became subject to the new Quality Indicator (QI) Program under the Aged Care Act 2024.
QI data for home care has not yet been publicly released.
