the Aged Care Today magazine featured articles

Confident boards don’t wait; they synthesise data and take action. They begin the work with eager anticipation of bringing others into the fold. An ill-equipped board is hampered and can lead to organisational instability.

An aged care provider’s governing body is responsible in the promotion of a culture of safe, inclusive and quality care and services and their delivery to older Australians – so getting it right is vital.

A shared responsibility

Good governance doesn’t occur in a silo; it happens when a board takes ownership of sourcing the right information at the right time – and then extends this proactive approach to ensuring this information is effectively disseminated, understood and embraced across all job roles.

Confident boards reinforce the principle that compliance is a shared responsibility. When all members of an organisation are clear regarding individual roles and responsibilities, channels of communication are well defined and strategies are aligned, the governing body is empowered to deliver sound organisation-wide corporate governance.

To thrive, boards need to be equipped with members skilled a variety of capabilities including informed decision making. In the era of AI, is it essential that the collection of data identifies patterns, correlations and anomalies that support more informed decisions, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring optional outcomes.

Key areas of reform

The aged care sector is complex and with the reform agenda protracted and delayed, it has left providers struggling to prepare in absence of finalisation of key elements.

While some boards are well equipped to address the requirements under the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (February 2025) on the eve of the new Aged Care Act, due for release 1 July 2025, other boards are not quite ready, waiting in the wings for finalisation before acting.

However, the expectations for boards are well documented – and the time is now to be prepared for upcoming reforms.

Key areas for organisation-wide governance systems include information management, continuous improvement, financial governance, workforce governance, regulatory compliance and feedback and complaints management.

Where to get support

There is a wealth of resources available from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission via the Aged Care Learning Information Solution (Alis) platform.

Ageing Australia provides free support to our members through the Member Support and Advisory Service, which includes mapping tools for transition planning, compliance assessment and reporting, as well as advice. Additional paid services are available for members and non-members. More information is available via

Ageing Australia will continue to offer live online workshops to unpack key elements as reform unfolds, including Code of Conduct workshops and a Leaders Reform Bootcamp for Commonwealth Home Support Programme providers, to help with meeting obligations and to ensure older people have confidence and trust in the quality and safety of care they receive.

To help organisations master board governance, Ageing Australia offers organisations an exclusive Board Governance on Demand workshop, which provides an overview of governance compliance and enables boards to explore confidentially organisational areas of strength and determine where adjustments are required to ensure compliance and maintain business viability.

Kick-start 2025 by making sure your board is equipped for confidence and success. Email to find out how we can help.