Residential aged care and discharge planning
Deciding whether an older inpatient needs residential care, the Australian pathway under the Aged Care Act 2024 (single assessment, Support at Home, transition care, residential care funding and fees), the strengthened Quality Standards, and a practical discharge plan.
Tier 2Topic overview
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Start discharge planning on admission: baseline function, home set-up, carers, goals and an estimated date of discharge.
- Don't decide on permanent residential care during acute illness or delirium. Reassess after recovery, rehabilitation or transition care.
- The person decides where they live if they have capacity for that decision, even when the choice is risky. See Assessment of decision-making capacity.
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Sources
- Aged Care Act 2024 (commenced 1 November 2025)AU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2025
- Strengthened Aged Care Quality StandardsAU/NZAged Care Quality and Safety Commission, Effective 1 November 2025
- Single Assessment System for aged care and the Integrated Assessment ToolAU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2024 (single assessment workforce from 9 December 2024)
- Support at Home programAU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2025 (began 1 November 2025)
- Transition Care ProgrammeAU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- Residential aged care fee and accommodation arrangements (new residents from 1 November 2025)AU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2025
- NSQHS Standards (second edition, 2021 version): Communicating for Safety and Medication Safety standardsAU/NZAustralian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2021
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care ProgramAU/NZAustralian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback