Building safe, accountable and respectful care

WattleCare Services is being built around safe, accountable and respectful aged-care support. As we prepare for registration, we are developing systems for governance, documentation, worker screening, privacy, complaints, incident management and continuous improvement.

Older Australians receiving aged care have clearly defined rights under the Aged Care Act. These include the right to safe, respectful and dignified care; the right to make decisions about your own life; the right to privacy; the right to complain without reprisal; and the right to involve a representative, family member or supporter in your care.

WattleCare is building its service model around these rights from the ground up.

All WattleCare workers and responsible persons will be required to comply with the Aged Care Code of Conduct. This means acting with respect, honesty and integrity; treating every person with dignity; protecting privacy; delivering care safely and competently; raising concerns promptly; and providing care free from abuse, neglect, discrimination and exploitation.

Compliance with the Code of Conduct is a condition of registration and will apply to every person working within WattleCare Services.

WattleCare is building a workforce screening, training and supervision framework that meets provider obligations under the Aged Care Act. This includes:

• Screening and role-matching all workers before engagement
• Confirming qualifications, registrations and relevant experience
• Providing induction, ongoing training and clinical supervision
• Rostering safely and monitoring worker performance
• Maintaining clear escalation pathways for workers who identify a change in a client's wellbeing, a safety concern or a need for clinical review

For Category 5 nursing and transition care services, all clinical care will be delivered under registered nurse oversight, in accordance with applicable scope of practice and state-based nursing frameworks.

Care plans will be developed with the client, their family and their treating health professionals — including GP communication, regular review and clear escalation pathways.

Once registered, WattleCare will be required to meet the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards set by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. For Categories 4 and 5, the relevant standards cover:

• The individual — care that respects each person's life story, preferences, culture, goals and right to make decisions
• The organisation — governance, leadership, supervision and a culture of safety and continuous improvement
• Care and services — assessment, care planning, coordination, review and escalation
• The environment — safe home environments, infection prevention and control
• Clinical care — person-centred, evidence-based, safe and coordinated clinical care with RN oversight and GP communication

WattleCare is preparing its systems, workforce and governance to meet these standards before services commence.

We welcome feedback and complaints because they help services improve. When registered services commence, clients and representatives will be told how to make a complaint, how it will be handled and how to contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission if they prefer.

We handle personal and health information carefully and only collect information needed to respond to enquiries, support care pathways, manage records or meet legal and regulatory obligations.

If something goes wrong, we will be open, honest and focused on making it right. WattleCare is building an open disclosure approach that means listening to the person affected, explaining what happened, involving the people they want involved and using what we learn to prevent it from happening again.

WattleCare is preparing an incident management system to record, review and learn from incidents and near misses.

Once registered, we will be required to manage and report serious incidents under the Serious Incident Response Scheme. Families and representatives will be informed when required, and open disclosure will be central to how we respond.

If you have a concern about the safety of someone receiving aged care — from any provider — you can contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission directly.

WattleCare Services is not an emergency response service. If someone is seriously unwell, injured, at immediate risk or needs urgent medical help, call 000 or attend the nearest Emergency Department.

WattleCare Services is not yet registered and is not currently accepting funded clients or referrals. If you have a question about our governance approach, quality systems or registration progress, please get in touch and our team will respond to your enquiry.