Community Care Common standards

Page content: Overview | Resources and websites

Overview

On the 1 March 2011 the Community Care Common Standards (CCCS) replaced the HACC National Service Standards across Australia. The CCCS are part of an ongoing process of reform by the Australian Government and State and Territory Governments that has been underway since 2005 to develop and streamline arrangements in community care.

The CCCS are applicable to the Home and Community Care (HACC) Program, Community Aged Care Packages (CACP), Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACHD) and the National Respite for Carers Program.

There are three standards:

• Effective Management
• Appropriate Access and Service Delivery and
• Service User Rights and Responsibilities.

There are 18 expected outcomes: 8 management outcomes, 5 service delivery outcomes and 5 service user rights outcomes.

The Community Care Common Standards Guide contains information about the standards and outcomes, the Quality Review tools and process and related documents. The guide and related information can be accessed at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-commcare-qualrep-standards.htm.

It is recommended that HACC funded agencies download the guide and read it in preparation for implementation.

The Community Care Common Standards Guide and the HACC Program Complaints Policy replace Sections 3.1 to 3.6 of the Victorian HACC Program Manual.

The Quality framework includes the Community Care Common Standards Guide, the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and the HACC Program Complaints Policy.

For Commonwealth Government funded programs Quality Reviews will be conducted by Quality Reviewers from the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA).

Australian Healthcare Associates (AHA) has been appointed by the Department of Health to conduct, on the department’s behalf, the Community Care Common Standards (CCCS) Quality Reviews of HACC funded organisations in Victoria other than those that have ACHS or QICSA accreditation. Quality Reviews will be conducted between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2014 by Australian Healthcare Associates. Further information is available on their website at: http://www.ahaconsulting.com.au/Project-Resources/Victorian--HACC-CCCS-Quality-Reviews.aspx

For HACC funded organisations with ‘whole of organisation’ QICSA or ACHS accreditation as at 28 February 2012 the CCCS Quality Review for HACC funding will occur with their accreditation review.

Where possible funded organisations with both Commonwealth community aged care funding and HACC funding will have a joint Quality Review conducted by Quality Reviewers from both AHA and DoHA. However if an organisation has both types of funding and QICSA or ACHS accreditation as at 28 February 2012 there will be a separate Quality Review for Commonwealth community aged care funding by DoHA Quality Reviewers.

While the CCCS are similar in content to the HACC National Standards there are some key differences from the previous two national standards assessment rounds:

• Previously in most cases one HACC service type at each HACC funded agency was assessed. Under CCCS all HACC funded client services at a HACC funded agency will be subjected to the Quality Review.

• There is no scoring system. Outcomes are rated as ‘met’ or ‘not met’.

• Funded agencies will be required to complete a self assessment prior to the site visit. This was not a requirement under the HACC National Service Standards Instrument.

Organisations funded to provide HACC services in Victoria are required to follow a variety of Victorian specific policy and program requirements. These include: the Victorian HACC Program Manual, Diversity planning and practice, Active Service Model implementation, Service Coordination Tool Templates and (for designated assessment services) the Framework for Assessment in the HACC Program. There are also Victorian State Government requirements such as the Working with Children Check.

Victorian requirements have been incorporated into the Quality Review process for HACC funded agencies via the Victorian Home and Community Care (HACC) Quality Review Resource.  This is available below as a pdf document. The Resource can also be accessed via the Australian Healthare Associates website at http://www.ahaconsulting.com.au/

The HACC program presentation given at the 2012 CCCS Information Sessions is available below.  This presentation gives an overview of the policy context for CCCS Quality Reviews in Victoria.

Resources and websites

Community Care Common Standards Guide
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-commcare-qualrep-standards.htm

Australian Healthcare Associates
http://www.ahaconsulting.com.au/Project-Resources/Victorian--HACC-CCCS-Quality-Reviews.aspx

Victorian Home and Community Care (HACC) Quality Review Resource 2012 (604kb, pdf)

HACC Community Care Common Standards Information Session presentation (121kb, pdf)

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