Navigating the new audit process: Insights from Nazareth Aged Care

Nazareth Aged Care recently completed an audit under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, becoming one of the first organisations in the Lutheran network to navigate and complete the new audit framework. Their experience offers valuable practical insight for other organisations preparing for the process.

An interview held with the Facility Manager Kripa John discovered the following information about the Audit process.

The full audit took approximately one month from start to finish. It commenced with an initiation meeting with the audit team, during which timeframes and expectations were outlined clearly. Governing body and senior management meetings were scheduled separately and held virtually via Teams, and auditors operated independently from one another, each focusing on specific areas of the organisation.

Following the initiation meeting, the Audit Evidence Collection Tool (AECT) was issued to Nazareth, with 14 days provided to compile and submit all required evidence. After the governing body and senior management meetings, the Care Delivery Evidence Collection Tool (CDECT) was issued, with a further 14-day period to complete and submit information. For a 32-bed facility, the on-site component ran for three full days. Importantly, both the AECT and CDECT are publicly available on the Commission’s website, meaning organisations can begin preparing well before the audit commences. The resource information tools and information can be accessed via this link.

Nazareth complimented the audit team and found them to be cooperative and approachable throughout, and auditors were willing to clarify what they were looking for at each stage. Nazareth complimented the process and found that the Commission is working through this new process in collaboration with providers.

For organisations preparing for an upcoming audit, Nazareth’s experience points to several practical considerations:

• Review the AECT and CDECT tools on the Commission’s website as early as possible, well before the audit begins.
• Progress the audit promptly where you are able, as final reports across a group of organisations are not released until all audits within the group are completed.
• The central focus of the audit is whether your systems are internally aligned and whether there is clear, documented evidence that your organisation is doing what its policies say it is doing.
• Auditors are flexible with scheduling if proposed dates are not suitable, though engaging quickly and moving the process forward is recommended.

Congratulations Nazareth on your achievements.