Measuring quality in home care in focus at industry forum
The latest results from an Australian-first project trialling a tool to measure care outcomes in community aged care will be discussed at an industry seminar next month.

The latest results from an Australian-first project trialling a tool to measure care outcomes in community aged care will be discussed at an industry seminar next month.
Researchers and service providers have been developing and testing the Australian Community Care Outcomes Measure (ACCOM) for use in the sector as part of a two-year study.
Professor Michael Fine from Macquarie University will introduce the tool and demonstrate its potential use in a competitive home care market. He said the ACOOM, which is completed by both staff and clients, aims to focus attention on the outcomes of care and helps providers benchmark their performance.
The research project is a partnership between Macquarie University, University of Wollongong, service provider organisations BaptistCare, The Whiddon Group, KinCare, and Community Options Australia, and peak body Aged and Community Services NSW/ACT.
At the seminar, Professor Ann Netten from the University of Kent will also discuss the development of the UK’s validated Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT), which is a questionnaire for consumers to rate care outcomes, and her involvement in the Australian project.
Service providers will also share their experience of using the measure as part of the field trials. Other speakers include Christina Bolger, executive director of programs and education at the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency.
The seminar takes place on 8 November in Sydney, 9:30am-1:00pm. For more information and to register click here.
Read Community Care Review‘s coverage of the ACCOM here.
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