Role of the Department - Overview

Page content: Overview | Mission Statement of the SRS Program | Objectives | Registration | How is monitoring carried out? | Complaint investigation | Prosecution | Renewal of Registration | Conditions on Registration

Overview

The Mission Statement of The Department of Health, which is responsible for, the policy and program delivery of many of Victoria’s aged care facilities and services among other areas, is 'to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Victorians, emphasising vulnerable groups and those most in need'.

Responsibility for the regulation of Supported Residential Services (SRS) falls to the SRS Program, which is part of the Aged Care Branch of the Rural & Regional Health and Aged Care Services Division, and to the Department's regional branches.

Mission Statement of the SRS Program

To work with the Supported Residential Services (SRS) sector to promote quality care and accommodation outcomes for residents of SRS facilities.

Objectives

• To preserve and improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of SRS residents by supporting and enforcing compliance by the SRS sector with the mandated minimum service standards set out in the Health Services Act 1988 and the Health Services (Supported Residential Services) Regulations 2001; and
• To promote the integration of the SRS sector within the wider Victorian service system.

The SRS Program does this by:

• registering SRS Premises
• granting proprietors certificates authorising proprietors to operate SRS businesses
• monitoring compliance by SRSs with the Health Services Act 1988 (available from the Victorian Law Today section of the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website) and the Health Services (Supported Residential Services) Regulations 2001 (available on the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website) to promote appropriate standards of care and accommodation
• providing information and education to assist potential and existing proprietors
• providing information to residents, their families and the general public
• developing and implementing policy.

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Registration

The Department has a responsibility under the Health Services Act 1988 to ensure that buildings from which SRSs are conducted and the owners of the business conducted from those premises are suitable in terms of the criteria specified under the Act.

For further details of this process, go to the Registration page.

How is monitoring carried out?

Authorised Officers

DoH monitors compliance with the legislation in SRSs. Each regional office has Authorised Officers who, under powers outlined in the Health Services Act 1988 (available from the Victorian Law Today section of the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website), inspect and evaluate SRSs. As well as formalised assessments, inspections can take place on a random basis.

Authorised Officers promote quality care and accommodation outcomes for residents and work with SRS proprietors to maximise compliance by SRS facilities with the minimum service standards of the legislation. Using their knowledge of local services, Authorised Officers can be a valuable source of advice and link to other services for SRS proprietors. For more detail, please see Monitoring Processes.

Community Visitors

Under the Health Services Act 1988, Community Visitors are also able to report on the accommodation and care provided by SRSs. Community Visitors are volunteers who are appointed as detailed in the Act as an inquiry role into the standard of facilities and care provided by SRSs to residents, and to receive complaints from residents and follow these up.

For further information about the role of Community Visitors visit the website of the Office of the Public Advocate.

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Complaint investigation

DoH officers will respond to complaints and will generally involve planned inspections (announced or unannounced), and may result in a Care and/or Facility Audit Inspection from which Action Plans may be prepared to rectify issues identified.

See Complaints for a more detailed description of options for lodging complaints.

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Prosecution

Where serious breaches of the Act and/or Regulations are identified or where the proprietor fails to remedy identified breaches DoH may prosecute the proprietor under the various provisions of the Health Services Act 1988. A successful prosecution may have long-term ramifications for the on-going operation of the SRS.

Renewal of Registration

Registration is usually granted for a term of 2 years although this period can be shorter or longer. A key criterion in assessing an application for renewal of registration is the SRSs history of compliance with the Act and Regulations. Since renewal of registration is not automatic, in severe cases of non-compliance a facility’s renewal of registration application may be refused.

Conditions on Registration

DoH is able to impose conditions on the registration of an SRS to ensure compliance with the Act and Regulations and to ensure the interests of residents are protected. A breach of any condition on registration is a breach of the Act and renders the proprietor liable to prosecution for such a breach.

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