The National Quality Framework for Aged Care: 7 Standards, What They Mean and How to Use Them
Quick answer: The national quality framework for aged care in Australia refers to the Aged Care Quality Standards — the legally enforceable standards that every registered aged care provider must meet. From 1 November 2025, the standards were strengthened from eight to seven under the new Aged Care Act 2024, with a sharper focus on individual rights, clinical safety, food and nutrition, and person-centred outcomes. This guide explains all seven standards, what they mean for families, and how to use them when choosing a provider.
What Is the National Quality Framework for Aged Care?
When Australians talk about a “national quality framework” for aged care, they are referring to the Aged Care Quality Standards — the national set of legally enforceable requirements that every government-subsidised aged care provider must meet to deliver safe, respectful, and high-quality care.
The Quality Standards are set by the Australian Government and administered by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) — the independent national regulator that assesses providers, investigates complaints, and takes action when standards are not met. They apply across residential aged care, home care, respite care, and palliative care services — any service receiving government funding under the Aged Care Act 2024.
The philosophy behind the national quality framework for aged care is straightforward: older Australians receiving government-funded care deserve a clearly defined, consistently applied, and independently monitored standard of quality. The Standards exist to make that expectation concrete — and to give families a practical benchmark they can use when choosing between providers.
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What Changed in 2025: From 8 Standards to 7 Strengthened Standards
For many years, Australia’s national quality framework for aged care was built on eight Quality Standards, introduced in 2019. From 1 November 2025, these were replaced by seven strengthened standards under the new Aged Care Act 2024 — more detailed, more measurable, and more explicitly focused on the lived experience of each individual receiving care.
The old standards were structured around provider processes — what providers were doing. The new strengthened standards are structured around person-centred outcomes — what the individual is actually experiencing. This is a fundamental shift: a provider can no longer tick compliance boxes without demonstrating that those boxes translate into genuinely good care for each resident.
| Old Standards (2019–2025) | New Strengthened Standards (from 1 Nov 2025) |
|---|---|
| 1. Consumer Dignity and Choice | 1. Individual Rights |
| 2. Ongoing Assessment and Planning | 2. Assessment and Planning |
| 3. Personal and Clinical Care | 3. Care and Services |
| 4. Services and Supports for Daily Living | 4. Environment |
| 5. Organisation’s Service Environment | 5. Clinical Care |
| 6. Feedback and Complaints | 6. Food and Nutrition |
| 7. Human Resources | 7. Residential Community |
| 8. Organisational Governance | Merged into Standards 1, 3 and 7 |
One important note for families reading audit results: if you are viewing a provider’s accreditation report from before November 2025, it will reference the old eight standards. This does not mean the provider is non-compliant — it simply reflects the framework that was in place at the time of that assessment. Current assessments from November 2025 onwards use the new seven strengthened standards.
The 7 Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards — Explained for Families
Here is what each of the seven standards in the national quality framework for aged care actually means — in plain language, with practical examples and the questions families can ask when evaluating a provider.
How Providers Are Assessed Against the National Quality Framework
Understanding how providers are assessed against the national quality framework for aged care helps families know what accreditation actually means — and what its limitations are.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission conducts assessments of registered providers through a combination of announced visits, unannounced visits, desktop audits, and reviews triggered by complaints or incidents. Assessors evaluate whether providers are meeting each of the seven standards — looking at documentation, observing care in practice, and speaking directly with residents and their families.
Providers who meet the standards receive accreditation for up to three years — with 96.3% of re-accredited homes receiving the full three-year period at June 2025. Providers who do not meet standards may receive a shorter accreditation period, be required to address specific compliance issues, or — in serious cases — face sanctions or loss of accreditation. All assessment results are publicly available on the My Aged Care Find a Provider portal at myagedcare.gov.au.
What accreditation does NOT guarantee
Accreditation confirms that a provider met the standards at the time of the assessment. It does not guarantee that every interaction on every shift will reflect the same quality. Care quality can vary by time of day, staffing level, and individual staff member. Accreditation is a useful starting point — not a complete picture.
This is why visiting a facility, speaking with current residents and their families, and asking specific questions about daily care practices is essential — alongside checking accreditation results.
How to Use the National Quality Framework When Choosing Aged Care
The national quality framework for aged care gives families something genuinely useful — a concrete checklist they can use to evaluate and compare providers. Here is how to use it practically.
Practical checklist for families — mapped to the 7 standards
- Standard 1: Ask how residents are supported to make their own choices about daily routines and care
- Standard 2: Ask how often care plans are reviewed and whether families are included in the process
- Standard 3: Ask how personal care is scheduled and how the facility coordinates with external health services
- Standard 4: Visit in person — note cleanliness, maintenance, access to outdoor spaces, and whether residents’ rooms feel personal
- Standard 5: Ask whether there is a registered nurse on-site 24/7, and how the facility responds to deteriorating health
- Standard 6: Ask whether menus are developed with a dietitian and whether residents have genuine mealtime choices
- Standard 7: Ask what the activities programme looks like, how it is shaped by residents’ interests, and how isolated residents are supported
A provider with strong systems will welcome these questions and answer them specifically. Vague answers — “we always put residents first”, “our staff is wonderful” — without concrete examples are a signal to dig deeper. The quality framework exists precisely to make these conversations possible and productive.
The National Quality Framework and Star Ratings
Since 2022, the Australian Government has published star ratings for residential aged care homes on the My Aged Care website. Star Ratings give families a quick, comparable snapshot of provider performance across four dimensions — each connected to the national quality framework.
| Star Rating Dimension | Connected Quality Standard | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Residents’ Experience | Standards 1, 3, 6, 7 | Based on surveys of residents about their daily experience |
| Staffing | Standards 3, 5 | Care minutes delivered vs mandated minimum, RN coverage |
| Compliance | All 7 standards | ACQSC assessment results and non-compliance history |
| Quality Measures | Standards 2, 5 | Clinical indicators — pressure injuries, falls, unplanned weight loss, restraint use |
Star Ratings are a useful tool — but like accreditation results, they are a starting point rather than a complete picture. A provider with four stars may deliver better day-to-day care than a provider with five, depending on the specific dimensions that matter most to your family. Use Star Ratings alongside the practical checklist above, your own site visit, and direct conversations with the provider.
Challenges in Meeting the National Quality Framework — And What Good Providers Do About Them
The strengthened national quality framework for aged care raises the bar — and that is exactly the point. But it also creates real challenges for providers, particularly smaller operators, those in regional areas, or those managing workforce shortages. Understanding these challenges helps families ask better questions.
Workforce shortages remain the most significant practical constraint on quality. Even a provider with genuinely good systems can struggle to consistently deliver high-quality care when staffing is under pressure. This is why the mandatory minimum care minutes requirement — 215 minutes per resident per day — is so important, and why asking about actual (not minimum) care minutes is one of the most revealing questions a family can ask.
Cultural competency remains an area where many providers need to improve. Standard 1’s requirement to uphold each person’s cultural identity is not satisfied by having a translated document on file — it requires staff training, genuine awareness, and systems that actively support diverse residents rather than expecting them to adapt to a default culture.
Consumer awareness is still limited. Many families do not know their rights under the national quality framework, do not review accreditation results before choosing a provider, and do not feel empowered to ask hard questions during facility tours. The quality framework is only as powerful as the families and residents who use it — which is why guides like this one matter.
Frequently Asked Questions — National Quality Framework for Aged Care
What is the national quality framework for aged care in Australia?
The national quality framework for aged care refers to the Aged Care Quality Standards — seven legally enforceable standards that every registered aged care provider must meet. They are set by the Australian Government and enforced by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. From 1 November 2025, the standards were strengthened under the new Aged Care Act 2024.
How many quality standards are there in aged care in 2026?
From 1 November 2025, there are seven strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards — down from eight under the previous framework. The seven standards cover: Individual Rights, Assessment and Planning, Care and Services, Environment, Clinical Care, Food and Nutrition, and Residential Community.
What is the difference between the old and new quality standards?
The old eight standards (2019–2025) focused primarily on provider processes. The new seven strengthened standards focus on person-centred outcomes — what the individual actually experiences. Key additions include a dedicated Food and Nutrition standard and a stronger clinical governance focus within Standard 5. Audit reports from before November 2025 will reference the old eight standards.
How can I check whether an aged care provider meets the quality standards?
Visit the My Aged Care Find a Provider portal at myagedcare.gov.au to view each provider’s Star Ratings and accreditation results. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission website (agedcarequality.gov.au) also publishes compliance and enforcement information. Always combine this with a personal visit and direct conversations with the provider.
What happens if an aged care provider doesn’t meet the quality standards?
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can issue compliance notices, require providers to submit improvement plans, conduct additional monitoring visits, reduce the accreditation period, or — in serious cases — apply sanctions or revoke accreditation. Banning orders can also be issued against individuals who breach the Aged Care Code of Conduct.
Do the quality standards apply to home care as well as residential care?
Yes. The Aged Care Quality Standards apply to all registered providers of government-funded aged care — including residential care, Support at Home (home care), respite care, and palliative care. The standards relevant to a specific provider will depend on their registration category and the services they deliver.
The National Quality Framework and What It Means for Queensland Families
For families across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and regional Queensland, the national quality framework for aged care is a practical tool — not just a policy document. Every residential aged care facility in Queensland must meet all seven strengthened Quality Standards. Every provider must have their performance assessed by the ACQSC. Every family has the right to view accreditation results, Star Ratings, and compliance history before committing to a placement.
But knowing the framework exists is only half the equation. The other half is choosing a provider who goes beyond meeting the standards — one who has built a genuine culture of quality that shows up in every interaction, not just during assessment visits. The best facilities are the ones where the quality framework is not a compliance exercise but a reflection of how staff already think about their work — with curiosity, care, and a genuine commitment to each individual resident.
At Superior Care Group, we view the Aged Care Quality Standards as a baseline, not a ceiling. Our two Queensland residences — Wellington Park in Wellington Point, South East Brisbane, and Merrimac Park on the Gold Coast — have maintained continuous accreditation since opening, across every iteration of the national quality framework. We welcome families to use the seven standards as a checklist when they visit. Ask us how we uphold individual rights in practice. Ask about our care planning processes. Ask about our food and nutrition approach. Ask about how we support residents’ community connections.
A provider who welcomes these questions — and answers them with specific examples, not generic reassurances — is almost always a provider with strong systems and a genuine culture of care. We are proud to be that kind of provider.
Visit Wellington Park or Merrimac Park — Ask Us About Our Quality Standards
Wellington Park — Wellington Point, Brisbane South East | (07) 3822 1876
Merrimac Park — Merrimac, Gold Coast | (07) 5618 1111
