Research Paper 1 – How Australian residential aged care staffing levels compare with international and national benchmarks

This paper undertakes analysis of international and national staffing profiles for residential aged care services in order to better understand how staffing can be improved in Australia. A literature review on international and national models of staffing in residential aged care facilities and use of data from the Resource Utilisation and Classification Study (RUCS) will compare Australian practices to the standards of those models. This analysis will contribute to a better understanding of the costs involved in delivering higher quality care through effective staffing levels in residential aged care facilities.

This paper has been prepared by the The Centre for Health Service Development, part of the Australian Health Services Research Institute (AHSRI) at the University of Wollongong, for the information of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and the public. The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily the views of the Commissioners.