How the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards Impact OTs - What You Need to Know

If you’re an OT working in aged care, chances are you’ve heard about the new Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards — but you might be wondering, what do they actually mean for your day-to-day practice?

The short answer? More than you might think.

While the Standards are written for aged care providers, they shape the expectations for everyone involved in service delivery, including subcontracted allied health like OTs.

And with the increased focus on clinical governance, risk management, and person-centred clinical care, OTs need to be prepared to adjust how we document, communicate, and deliver our services.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s changing:

👉 Clinical governance now matters more than ever. It’s not enough to provide excellent clinical care - your recommendations need to directly support providers to manage risk, meet their obligations, and pass audits.

👉 Person-centred care is not just a philosophy — it’s an expectation. The new Standards place strong emphasis on dignity of risk, cultural safety, and supported decision-making. OTs need to show how our interventions respect client choice while managing clinical risk.

👉 Clear, evidence-based documentation is key. Reports that lack clinical reasoning, skip over risk management, or fail to support the provider’s governance role are no longer good enough. The expectations for what goes into an OT report are rising.

👉 Recognising and responding to deterioration is now a shared responsibility. OTs are often the first clinicians to spot early signs of functional or cognitive decline. Under the new Standards, we need to ensure that what we observe is clearly escalated and documented.

👉 Collaboration and communication are critical. Working in silos won’t cut it - we need to ensure our clinical input is integrated with the provider’s care systems and actively contributes to safe, effective service delivery.

Under the Strengthened Quality Standards, clinical responsibility is shared — and so is the opportunity to make a real difference.

Bottom line?

The new Standards are an opportunity - they elevate the role of OTs in aged care and position us as key clinical partners. But they also raise the bar on how we practice, communicate, and document.

Are you ready? If you’re not sure where to start - or want to ensure your clinical practice aligns with the new expectations - stay tuned. I’ll be sharing more soon on how OTs can thrive under the Strengthened Standards.