Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and SIRS

The seven strengthened standards

The Aged Care Rules 2025 set out seven standards in sections 15-10 to 15-40: Standard 1, the individual; Standard 2, the organisation; Standard 3, the care and services; Standard 4, the environment; Standard 5, clinical care; Standard 6, food and nutrition; and Standard 7, the residential community. They replaced the eight standards that applied from 2019 under the Quality of Care Principles 2014.

Each standard has an intent statement, an expectation statement written from the older person's point of view, outcomes and actions. The outcomes are the enforceable part. Clinical care and food and nutrition now have their own standards, and expectations about diversity and dementia are built into several standards rather than set out in one place. Providers must meet the outcomes that are relevant to the services they deliver.

Which providers must meet them

Under section 146 of the Act, the Quality Standards apply to providers registered in category 4 (personal care and care support in the home or community), category 5 (nursing and transition care) and category 6 (residential care), depending on the services delivered or specified in a funding agreement. They do not apply to other services a provider delivers, such as assistive technology or advisory services.

Not every standard applies to every provider in those categories. Standards 6 and 7 apply to residential care homes only. Standard 4 has separate outcomes for services delivered in a person's own home and services delivered elsewhere. Under the Commission's quick reference guide, category 4 providers must meet Standards 1 to 4, plus the clinical governance outcome in Standard 5 for care management and restorative care management. Category 5 providers must meet Standards 1 to 5, and category 6 providers all seven. Providers in these categories are audited at registration and renewal.

What counts as a reportable incident

Section 16 of the Act defines a reportable incident, and the Rules clarify the terms. There are eight types: unreasonable use of force, unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct, psychological or emotional abuse, unexpected death, stealing or financial coercion by a staff member, neglect, inappropriate use of restrictive practices, and unexplained absence. An alleged or suspected incident is also reportable, so providers do not need proof before notifying.

Incident management is a separate, broader obligation under section 164 and Outcome 2.5 of the strengthened standards. Every incident, reportable or not, should be recorded, assessed, responded to and used to reduce future risk. SIRS reporting is one part of that system, not a substitute for it. The Commission's Effective incident management systems: Best practice guidance describes what a sound system looks like.

Priority 1 and Priority 2 timeframes

A Priority 1 reportable incident is one that has caused an older person physical or psychological injury or discomfort requiring medical or psychological treatment to resolve, one where there are reasonable grounds to report it to police, one involving unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct, an unexpected death resulting from care delivered or not delivered, or an unexplained absence where there are reasonable grounds to call police. Under section 165A-25 of the Rules it must be notified within 24 hours of becoming aware, with any missing information given within 5 days of becoming aware.

Every other reportable incident is Priority 2. Under section 165A-30 of the Rules it must be notified within 30 days of becoming aware. New information must be notified as soon as reasonably practical, and the Commission can ask for further information. Reports are made through My Aged Care's provider portal. Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect a crime, contact police as well.

What changed in SIRS on 1 November 2025

The Priority 1 definition no longer includes incidents that "could reasonably have been expected to have caused" injury. Providers classify on the actual impact on the person, using a person-centred, culturally informed and trauma-informed approach, rather than predicting the worst case. The Rules define medical or psychological treatment as treatment that may only be provided by a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, psychologist or social worker. General treatment that anyone can give does not make an incident Priority 1 unless another criterion applies.

Neglect has a new definition covering services that put a person at risk of serious injury or illness, significant failures or systemic patterns of poor conduct, grossly inadequate services, and reckless or intentionally negligent conduct. The former missing consumer and unexplained absence types have merged into unexplained absence for all settings. Incident procedures and staff training written before November 2025 should be updated.

Questions people ask about the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and SIRS

• What are the seven strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards?
• Do Standards 6 and 7 apply to home care providers?
• Is an injury needing a GP visit a Priority 1 incident?
• How long do we have to report a Priority 2 SIRS incident?
• What is the new definition of neglect under SIRS?
• Do we report a suspected incident before we have investigated it?
• Which registration categories are audited against the Quality Standards?