Get Ready for Audits with CareApp!

With the Strengthened Quality Standards and Refreshed Star Ratings coming into effect on November 1, 2025, now’s the time to feel confident and prepared.

The great news? CareApp makes it easier than ever to gather and show the evidence assessors are looking for, without adding extra admin pressure to your team.

Whether it’s:

• Providing clear documentation
• Tracking communication with families
• Showcasing lifestyle engagement and wellbeing
• Or supporting transparency and continuous improvement...

CareApp helps aged care providers feel audit-ready—every day.

“Our auditors loved CareApp when they visited!”
“CareApp was SO helpful in our last Quality Assessment!”

👋 Missed our CareApp Customers Are Audit-Ready webinar?

No worries—we’ve got you covered.
You can now watch the full recording and explore all the key takeaways and resources right here.

🎥 Watch the webinar below to see exactly how CareApp can support your quality and compliance goals.

⏱️ No time to watch the webinar right now?

No problem—we’ve summarised the key points for you below.
Whether you're catching up on the go or want a quick refresher, this guide highlights everything you need to know about:

• The upcoming Strengthened Quality Standards
• How Star Ratings are calculated
• What assessors will be looking for during audits
• And how CareApp supports everyday compliance

📄 Don’t forget: You can also 📄 Download the Slide Deck for quick reference.
 

📘 Webinar Summary & Resources

Want to feel confident and prepared for audits and the new aged care standards?
This section outlines the main learnings from the session and explains how CareApp helps providers show clear, consistent evidence of quality care and compliance.

🔍 What This Guide Covers

• New Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (coming November 2025)
• Star Ratings and how they’re calculated
• How audits work – and what assessors are looking for
• Where CareApp fits in – and how it can make your life easier

The New Quality Standards: What’s Changing?

The refreshed standards place a stronger focus on:

• Optimising quality of life
• Minimising boredom and loneliness (daily!)
• Enabling people to do what matters to them

They move beyond “supporting participation” to set a higher bar: empowering older people to live meaningfully and independently.

These standards are still in draft form but are expected to commence from 1 November 2025.

What Is a Quality Program?

A Quality Program is made up of five key components:

1. Policies & Plans – What your organisation says it will do
2. Procedures & Practices – How it’s carried out
3. Documentation – Records that prove it’s happening
4. Monitoring – Ensuring systems are working
5. Continuous Improvement – Finding ways to do better

How Audits Work

During an audit (or assessment), an external assessor checks compliance against the Quality Standards by reviewing:

• Policies, procedures and care records
• Sample resident files
• Conversations with staff, residents, and family members

The main goal: If you say you do something, can you prove it?

📲 How CareApp Helps

CareApp provides clear documentation and real-time visibility that supports multiple aspects of compliance. Here’s how:

📁 Clear Records

• Notes, posts, photos, videos, wellbeing checks, links, documents
• All date-stamped and linked to individuals or shared groups

👀 View Tracking

• Track exactly who has viewed notices or updates
• Provides stronger evidence than traditional noticeboards or emails

📖 Tells a Story

• Builds a timeline of ongoing care, communication, and engagement
• Shows consistent activity—not just one-off moments

Mapping CareApp to the New Standards

The Evidence Mapping Framework (drafted by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission) outlines examples of evidence assessors may look for.

Here’s how CareApp aligns:

📢 Using Notices

Post and track updates around:

• Advocacy, informed consent, and supported decision-making
• Meeting minutes (e.g. family or resident meetings)
• Incident reporting and quality system updates
• Emergency or outbreak communication
• Feedback and complaints processes

💡 Tip: CareApp will soon release ready-to-use templates to support these topics.

🧾 Individual Communication

Posts and updates to families provide real-time documentation of:

• Lifestyle activities and resident participation
• Social connections and wellbeing
• Support for residents with higher care needs
• Family involvement in ongoing care

⭐ Star Ratings Refresher

Star Ratings will be updated in November 2025 and are designed to give families an objective way to compare providers.

They’re made up of:

• 15%: Clinical indicators (e.g. falls, pressure injuries)
• 22%: Staffing (care minutes compliance)
• 30%: Compliance history (audit outcomes, sanctions)
• 33%: Resident Experience Survey

📊 The Resident Experience Survey

Conducted independently each year with 20% of residents (or proxies). Questions include:

“Do you have a say in your daily activities?”

“Would you recommend this aged care home?”

✅ What You Can Do

📷 Post Good News
Showcase positive moments—especially for residents who can’t easily share these themselves.

💬 Share Family Feedback with Your Team
Use CareApp’s Insights tab to view and export family comments. A great morale booster!

🍽 Focus on Food
Food was a common area for improvement in surveys. Even small changes can make a big difference.

🧡 Keep Doing What You’re Doing
Kindness and communication matter. And families notice.

🤝 We’re Here to Help

🖥 Watch the Webinar Recording on this page
📄 Download the Slide Deck
📚 View the New Standards (Draft)
📑 Explore the Evidence Mapping Framework

If you have any questions or would like support using CareApp to prepare for audits, reach out to our team anytime. We’re here to help.