The Quality Improvement Program at Good Shepherd Aged Services is a comprehensive program that manages the systems used to ensure that our service remains customer focussed and achieves our mission of quality service and value for money.

Quality Improvement includes policy development, implementation and evaluation, as well as the auditing of our systems to ensure that they remain current.

Quality Improvement is a collaborative effort that enables people to work together across organisational boundaries to improve shared processes.

Quality Improvement can take many forms and includes a wide range of activities to meet the needs of the organisation. Individual facilities can implement Quality Improvement projects specific to their area or needs, or the project may be organisational.

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The comprehensive Quality System ensures that residents receive a high standard of individualised care and continue to be satisfied with the care they receive.

  Each Good Shepherd facility has an Internal Audit undertaken every three months where senior staff act as Internal Auditors and monitor compliance with the following

• The organisation's Policy and Procedure
• The quality plan and the ongoing identification of areas for improvements
• The Aged Care Standards

During this process, it is likely that you or your relative/representative may be asked questions about satisfaction with the service. However at any time, you may make a suggestion for improvement.

Suggestions for improvement can be made either verbally to a staff member via completion of an Improvement Request Form, which is located in reception. We encourage suggestions for improvement, comments and ideas, in order that we can continuously improve our level of service to residents and their relatives/representative. The Quality system has been specifically designed to canvass resident satisfaction and to work collaboratively with residents, and their relatives/representatives.

BENCHMARKING

  Good Shepherd Aged Services subscribes to a national benchmarking program as another aspect of our Quality Improvement Activities.

Benchmarking involves the collection and submission of data on a number of areas such as number of resident falls, infection rates, staffing ratios. These results are then compared to other Aged Care facilities and we are given an overall rating. A number of resident/relative surveys form part of the benchmarking program.

MEASURING SATISFACTION

Resident, relative and staff satisfaction are measured in a number of ways. These are both informal and formal. Formal measurement tools include the annual Resident, Relative and Staff Satisfaction surveys.

As well as these tools, all parties have the opportunity to raise issues and make comments at regular meetings held throughout the year.

Should you wish to learn more about these processes, please speak to the Quality Manager.

ACCREDITATION

The Aged Care Act outlines the process of accreditation and the standards on which all residential aged care facilities are measured. The standards assess the overall quality of services provided by the facility.

The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency manages the accreditation process.

There are 4 main Accreditation Standards

• Standard 1: Management Systems, Staffing and Organisational Development
• Standard 2: Health & Personal Care
• Standard 3: Resident Lifestyle
• Standard 4: Physical Environment & Safe Systems