Public health service board members’ understanding of care quality in residential aged care services
Jo-Anne Rayner
A * , Deirdre Fetherstonhaugh A and Linda McAuliffe A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care (ACEBAC), La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus, Bundoora, Vic. 3086, Australia.
* Correspondence to: j.rayner@latrobe.edu.au
Australian Health Review 47(4) 427-432 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH23009
Submitted: 20 January 2023 Accepted: 3 May 2023 Published: 23 May 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA.
Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to explore how health service boards understand care quality for older people living in public sector residential aged care services.
Methods Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with board members from six Victorian public health services responsible for the governance of 15 residential aged care services comprising over 850 beds. Transcripts were thematically analysed.
Results Eleven board members were interviewed. While committed to their governance and monitoring role, analysis suggests board members have a limited understanding of the residential aged care environment. They rarely visit and the information they receive about residential aged care is primarily clinical data (quality indicators) as well as sub-committee and staff reports. In addition to quality indicator data and reports, accreditation and complaints are used to measure care quality.
Conclusion Board members vary in their understanding of care quality in residential aged care settings. The exclusive focus on clinical indicators and accreditation as measures of quality reinforces this understanding. Visiting residential aged care services would provide understanding of the care environment and context for the information they receive. The provision of other metrics, such as consumer advocacy reports and residents’ and families’ experiences of care, would further assist board members to monitor care quality in these settings.
Keywords: governance, health service boards, nursing homes, older people, public sector residential aged care, qualitative research, quality care, walkarounds.
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