20Meaning of high quality care

20  Meaning of high quality care

  The delivery of a funded aged care service by a registered provider to an individual is high quality care if the service is delivered in a manner that:

 (a) puts the individual first; and

 (b) upholds the rights of the individual under the Statement of Rights; and

 (c) prioritises the following:

 (i) kindness, compassion and respect for the life experiences, self‑determination, dignity, quality of life, mental health and wellbeing of the individual;

 (ii) the timely and responsive delivery of the service to the individual;

 (iii) specific tailoring of care to the personal needs, aspirations and preferences of the individual, including preferences regarding the time when the service is delivered;

 (iv) respecting the individual’s preferences regarding privacy and time alone;

 (v) supporting the improvement of the individual’s wellbeing, independence, autonomy and physical and cognitive capacity through reablement approaches, where the individual chooses to, including by keeping the individual mobile and engaged if they are living in an approved residential care home;

 (vi) supporting the individual to participate in meaningful and respectful activities and remain connected to friends, family, carers and the community, where the individual chooses to;

 (vii) supporting the individual to remain connected to the natural environment, and animals and pets, where the individual chooses to;

 (viii) implementing inclusive policies and procedures, in partnership with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons, family and community to ensure that culturally safe, culturally appropriate and accessible care is delivered to those persons at all times, which incorporates flexibility and recognises the unique experience of those persons;

 (ix) adapting policy, practices and environments to ensure that services are culturally appropriate for the diverse life experiences of individuals, including by engaging workers with lived experience of diversity in the provider’s workforce and governing body;

 (x) bilingual aged care workers and interpreters being made available if required by the individual;

 (xi) training of the aged care workers to facilitate the delivery of the service by well‑skilled and empowered aged care workers who are able to develop and maintain a relationship with the individual;

 (xii) recruitment and retention of aged care workers to ensure the needs of individuals are able to be met;

 (xiii) the delivery of high quality nursing services by sufficient numbers of qualified and experienced direct care staff members.