Since July 2023, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ASQSC) has mandated that Residential Aged Care Homes (RACH) meet minimum targets for clinical and care staffing hours, to ensur registered aged care providers are delivering safe and quality direct care and services.

From 1 October 2025, the Star Ratings system for aged care providers has undergone significant changes in how they are calculated, requiring both total care minutes and registered nurse care minutes targets to be met for aged care homes to achieve a 3-star (Acceptable) rating.

From April 2026, the Department of Health, Disability, and Aging intends to reduce funding for RACH in a wide range of categories that do not meet their Registered Nurse and Total Care Minute targets, with a maximum reduction of $31.64 per elderly individual per day.

Potential reduction in base care tariff funding, combined with the Fair Work Commission’s Aged Care Work Value Case, improving the pay conditions for our Aged Care staff, it is crucial that registered aged care providers are accurate with their workforce planning and mandatory reporting to governing bodies.

Acetek’s Nurse Call Solutions, with real-time dashboards and intuitive reporting, enable data-driven decision-making with insights on how your registered nurses (RNs), enrolled nurses (ENs), personal care workers (PCWs)/assistants in nursing (AINs) teams can provide exceptional care more efficiently and safely.

At Acetek, we bring over 25 years of expertise in healthcare technology solutions and integration. Our experience is essential in helping aged care providers implement and optimise their systems to meet aged care quality compliance obligations.  We specialise in nurse call analytics, real-time location tracking, and clinical workflow solutions, ensuring seamless integration of nurse-call system platforms with existing facility infrastructure. This end-to-end support enables RACH’s to meet care minutes in accordance with aged care requirements while enhancing care quality and operational performance.

Contact Acetek today to discuss how we can help your Aged Care Home achieve conformance and utilise your workforce effectively.

Austco’s Clinical Workflow platform enhances the Tacera Nurse Call System with customisable in-room touchscreens. These interfaces allow staff to record specific clinical assessments and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) in real-time. This supports care teams to know their individual care needs, plan their workflow around what care needs to be provided for each individual, and coordinate with other team members to ensure care is provided timely and safely.

The system bi-directionally integrates with your electronic care management platform, automatically updating individual’s charts when care activities are logged.

For instance, care staff record assistance with ADL events, and the Registered nurse records pain assessment scores on the touchscreen, which is instantly reflected in the individual’s assessment and charts.

This integration enables staff to record care provided on the go, instead of documenting everything at the end of their shift, significantly minimising documentation errors and missed entries.

Starting 1 October 2024, the Australian Government has included enrolled nurses (ENs) to provide up to 10% of the RN care minutes. In facilities with a 44-minute RN care minute target, ENs can now contribute up to 4.4 minutes per individual per day. This policy change offers staffing flexibility while maintaining compliance. Austco’s Tacera Nurse Call System adapts seamlessly to this update.

The customisable touchscreens and Pulse Reports enable facilities to track and differentiate care minutes provided by RNs, ENs, and personal care workers, ensuring adherence to the updated standards and aged care minutes responsibilities.

The Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) automatically detects staff presence, enhancing care coordination while ensuring staff safety. Aged Care workers wear smart badges that interact with in-room sensors, logging their location and time spent providing care.

This system records data on staff presence, response times, and care durations without requiring manual input, creating a comprehensive audit trail of care activities.

The Clinical Workflow solution allows in-room touchscreens to be customised to display a wide range of specific care tasks, such as medication administration or wound care and records completion of the care task. Each action is time-stamped and can be recorded in the individual’s profile.

Pulse Reports compiles data from the nurse call system, RTLS, and Clinical Workflow to produce comprehensive reports. Administrators can review metrics like response times, time spent on care activities, and specific tasks performed. These reports support compliance with care minute requirements and aid in quality improvement initiatives across departments, homes, and group-wide.

At Acetek, we specialise in implementing advanced healthcare technology solutions tailored specifically for aged care settings. With over 25 years of experience, we offer comprehensive, end-to-end services — from integration design and project management to installation and ongoing customer support.

Our expertise in nurse call analytics, real-time location systems, and detailed reporting enables aged care facilities to meet regulatory standards, enhance operational efficiency, and improve the quality of care.

By partnering with Acetek, registered aged care providers can significantly enhance identification of potential AN-ACC reclassifications and dynamic rostering to meet fluctuations in residential care mix, allowing staff to focus more on delivering exceptional care to individuals under your care.

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