The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program started on 1 July 2019 and requires all residential aged care providers to collect data on three quality indicators:
- pressure injuries
- use of physical restraint
- unplanned weight loss.
The quality indicator for unplanned weight loss has two categories:
- significant unplanned weight loss
- consecutive unplanned weight loss.
Further to the guidance issued by the department on 18 July 2019 on the collection of data for significant unplanned weight loss. This guidance relates to the data collection requirements for consecutive unplanned weight loss in the first quarter:
- providers must collect data for the consecutive unplanned weight loss category
- providers that did not collect data for the quarter before the start of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program do not need to report the consecutive unplanned weight loss data due on 21 October 2019
- the data collected from the first quarter will be used as a comparison for the second quarter 1 October 31 December 2019 due for submission to the Department of Health by 21 January 2020.
The consecutive unplanned weight loss category counts the number of care recipients that have unplanned weight loss of any amount, every month of the quarter. It requires the comparison of a care recipient’s weight each month with their weight in the previous month.
Find more information about the program on the department’s website or by calling the My Aged Care Provider and Assessor Helpline on 1800 836 799.
