Amendments have been made to the Quality of Care Principles 2014 (Cth) to minimise the use of chemical and physical restraints in residential care settings, and to include specific requirements of aged care providers in relation to their use.
Requirements of providers include:
- thoroughly documenting any planned use of restraint in a client’s care plan,
- obtaining client consent,
- notifying a client’s representative, and
- obtaining authorisation from an appropriate health professional.
Additionally, the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Quality Indicator Program) Principles 2019 (Cth) – which took effect from 1 July 2019 – require that use of physical restraint in aged care facilities must be submitted and documented through the MyAged Care Portal. The Aged Care Quality Standards also require that clinical care is best practice and is supported by a clinical governance framework that minimises the use of restraint.
For these reasons, it is pivotal that organisations understand the regulatory requirements around the use of restraint. To assist organisations in this regard, BNG has developed a policy which incorporates these regulatory requirements.
Find our policy template on SPP, in the Reading Room:
- Policy: Eliminating the Use of Restraints (Aged Care)