Aged Care Regulations
The Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards: What the 7 Standards Mean for Residents and Families
If you’ve been reading about aged care for a while, you may remember the eight Aged Care Quality Standards. Since 1 November 2025, they have been replaced. The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards now set out what every government-funded aged care provider in Australia must deliver, and there are seven of them rather than eight.
The change came in alongside the new Aged Care Act 2024, which puts the rights of older people at the centre of the system. For families comparing aged care homes, the standards are one of the most useful tools you have. They tell you what good care should look like and give you the right questions to ask on a tour.
In this guide, we explain each of the seven standards in plain English, what changed from the old framework, and how to check whether a home is meeting them.
What Are the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards?
The strengthened standards are the rules aged care providers are assessed against. They took effect on 1 November 2025, and the previous eight standards applied until 31 October 2025. The full Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards document from the Department of Health sets out 7 standards and 33 outcomes, each describing a result that older people should experience.
Providers must meet the standards that match the services they deliver. Most standards apply across home care and residential care, while Standard 6 (Food and Nutrition) and Standard 7 (The Residential Community) apply only to residential aged care homes. That makes those two especially relevant if you are looking for a home for a parent.
The standards also work hand in hand with the Statement of Rights under the Aged Care Act 2024, which covers independence and choice, safe and quality care, privacy, communication, and staying connected with family, community and even pets.
The 7 Standards at a Glance
| Standard | What it focuses on |
|---|---|
| 1. The Individual | Person-centred care, dignity, privacy, choice and clear agreements |
| 2. The Organisation | Leadership, partnering with residents, risk, complaints and workforce |
| 3. The Care and Services | Assessment, care planning, communication and coordination |
| 4. The Environment | Safe, comfortable surroundings and infection prevention |
| 5. Clinical Care | Clinical governance, medicines, cognitive impairment and palliative care |
| 6. Food and Nutrition | Menus, nutrition, food and drink choice and the dining experience |
| 7. The Residential Community | Daily living, social connection and moving in or out of care |
What Each Standard Means for Residents and Families
Standard 1: The Individual
Standard 1 is the foundation for everything else. It covers person-centred care, dignity, respect and privacy, choice and independence, and transparency in agreements. In practice, it means your parent’s preferences, culture and life story shape their care, and they have a real say in how their days unfold.
Ask on a tour: How do you learn about a new resident’s routines, likes and dislikes before they move in?
Standard 2: The Organisation
This standard looks at how the provider is run. It includes partnering with residents, a culture of quality and safety, risk and incident management, complaints and feedback, workforce planning, and emergency and disaster planning. A well-run organisation is usually visible in the small things: staff who know residents by name, and families who feel heard.
Ask on a tour: How can residents and families give feedback, and what happens after they do?
Standard 3: The Care and Services
Standard 3 covers assessment and care planning, delivering the services a resident is funded for, communicating clearly for safety and quality, and coordinating care with others, such as GPs and allied health professionals.
Ask on a tour: How often are care plans reviewed, and how are families involved?
Standard 4: The Environment
This standard is about a safe, clean and comfortable environment, including infection prevention and control. For a residential home, that includes the building, gardens, equipment and the feel of the place as somewhere to live.
Ask on a tour: Can residents personalise their suite, and how is the outdoor space used?
Standard 5: Clinical Care
Clinical care saw some of the biggest changes. Standard 5 includes clinical governance, safe use of medicines, comprehensive care, and two outcomes many families will want to read closely: cognitive impairment, which supports people living with dementia, and palliative and end-of-life care. It sits alongside the requirement for residential homes to have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day.
Ask on a tour: How does the clinical team work with my parent’s GP, and how do you support residents living with dementia?
Standard 6: Food and Nutrition
Standard 6 is new as a standalone standard, and it reflects how much meals matter to quality of life. Homes must partner with residents on food and drinks, assess nutritional needs and preferences, provide food that is nourishing and enjoyable, and create a good dining experience.
Ask on a tour: Are meals cooked on site, and can residents have input into the menu?
Standard 7: The Residential Community
The final standard focuses on daily living in a residential home and on transitions, such as moving in, moving between services or going to hospital. It asks homes to support residents to stay connected, take part in activities they enjoy and feel part of a community.
Ask on a tour: What does a typical week look like, and how are activities chosen?
What Changed From the 8 Standards?
The old framework had eight standards, ranging from consumer dignity and choice through to organisational governance. The strengthened standards reorganise that content into seven and raise the bar in several areas. My Aged Care’s overview of the Aged Care Quality Standards highlights several of the main shifts:
- Older people at the centre: providers must give people choice in how their care is delivered and meet their needs, goals and preferences.
- Better support for people living with dementia: cognitive impairment now has its own clinical outcome.
- Stronger clinical care requirements: including clinical governance, medicines and palliative care.
- Food and nutrition as its own standard: with a specific focus on the dining experience.
Aged care homes are being assessed against the strengthened standards over three years. Until a home has been assessed, it keeps its results under the previous standards. Each assessment results in one of three grades: conformance, minor non-conformance or major non-conformance. A home that conforms with all seven standards may also be considered for an exceeding rating if it excels in three areas: active partnerships with older people and workers, governance and clinical governance, and the dining experience.
How to Check a Home Against the Standards
The standards are most useful when you put them into practice during your search. Here is a simple approach:
- Look up each home’s profile. Use My Aged Care’s tools to find and compare providers, which show Star Ratings and whether a home has been graded against the strengthened standards.
- Visit in person. Notice how staff speak with residents, how the dining room feels at mealtime and whether residents look engaged. Our aged care home tour checklist has the questions to bring.
- Ask for examples, not promises. A good home can tell you how it puts each standard into practice, with real examples.
- Talk to residents and families. They are the best judges of whether the standards are lived every day.
How Palm Lake Care Brings the Standards to Life
Our philosophy has always been that this is our residents’ home. As we explain on our About Palm Lake Care page, we respect residents’ privacy, dignity and independence, and our first concern is creating a better life for each person. That approach lines up closely with Standard 1.
The same thinking runs through the rest of the standards. Our chefs prepare nutritious meals on site every day, and residents can enjoy a shared meal, a quiet meal in their own suite or a private dining room with family. Registered nurses provide care around the clock, working with each resident’s GP and allied health professionals. Our lifestyle teams build programs around residents’ interests, from live entertainment to outings on the community bus. You can read more about what is included on our residential aged care page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there still 8 aged care standards?
No. The eight Aged Care Quality Standards applied until 31 October 2025. From 1 November 2025, they were replaced by seven strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards under the Aged Care Act 2024.
How many strengthened aged care quality standards are there?
There are seven: The Individual, The Organisation, The Care and Services, The Environment, Clinical Care, Food and Nutrition, and The Residential Community. Together they contain 33 outcomes.
When did the new aged care standards start?
The strengthened standards took effect on 1 November 2025, at the same time as the new Aged Care Act 2024 commenced.
Who checks that aged care homes meet the standards?
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission assesses and monitors providers against the standards. Homes are being assessed against the strengthened standards over three years, and results appear on each home’s My Aged Care profile.
Do all seven standards apply to aged care homes?
Yes. Residential aged care homes must meet all seven. Standards 6 and 7 apply only to residential homes, while the other five can also apply to services delivered at home, depending on the type of service.
Final Thoughts
The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards give families a clear, shared language for what good aged care looks like. Use them as a checklist when you compare homes, ask for real examples, and trust what you see and hear on your visits.
If you’d like to see how our communities put the standards into practice, our Customer Experience Team would be glad to arrange a visit. Make an enquiry and we’ll take it from there.