New consortium to have immediate impact on aged care

SAHMRI, through its Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA), is proud to be a member of newly founded Australian Consortium for Aged Care (ACAC).

ACAC is a national consortium of leading researchers in aged care established to provide evidence-based innovations to reform the aged care sector. It will answer key research questions that underpin, inform and monitor the policy response and implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

ACAC is a joint undertaking by the Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) at Macquarie University, the Registry of Older Australians (ROSA) at SAHMRI, the Centre for Health Services Research at the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology.

SAHMRI Executive Director, Professor Steve Wesselingh, says ROSA's membership of ACAC builds on its outstanding record of impactful research, including expert contributions to the Royal Commission.

"ROSA's Outcome Monitoring System and Frailty Index are just a couple of examples of how the registry is improving aged care now," he said.

"We're excited to join forces with these esteemed institutions and researchers to deliver even greater impact into the future."

ACAC’s work will build on extensive experience in aged care, quality and safety monitoring, healthcare, quality use of medicines, and other important areas needed to improve the care provided to older Australians.

“The aim of ACAC is to provide the evidence base for an aged care system every Australian can be proud of, with best practices embedded throughout to deliver safe, high-quality, individualised care that improves quality of life, care, and health outcomes for older Australians,” said Associate Professor Peter Hibbert, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, on behalf of the Consortium.

The Consortium can make an immediate contribution to improving care for residents of aged care facilities with unique sets of evidence-based indicators that can be applied to evaluate the performance of a residential aged care facility, including resident outcomes (e.g., health and wellbeing). These can point directly to where effective and practical improvements can be made to resident care. The Royal Commission has recognised that comprehensive sets of indicators such as these that track and measure adherence to quality and safety guidelines are critical.

The national Consortium leverages well-established collaborations supported through multiple National Health and Medical Research Council and Medical Research Future Fund grants, and long-term experience working with the aged care providers and consumers.

Consortium Members:

Registry of Senior Australians, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute

• Professor Steve Wesselingh
• Associate Professor Maria Inacio
• Associate Professor Gillian Caughey
• Associate Professor Craig Whitehead

Centre for Health Services Research, University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology

• Professor Len Gray
• Professor Elizabeth Beattie
• Associate Professor Tracy Comans

Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University

• Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite
• Professor Johanna Westbrook
• Associate Professor Peter Hibbert
• Dr Louise Wiles