Aged care complaints jump 45 per cent

Complaints to the national aged care regulator rose by 45 per cent in the first eight months of the new Aged Care Act, as the sector adjusts to sweeping reforms and greater consumer awareness of rights and care standards.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission received 10,628 complaints between 1 November 2025 and 30 June 2026, compared with 7,323 during the same period a year earlier, according to the 2025-26 Annual Report.

The report suggests the rise may reflect increased awareness of aged care rights, increased publicity around sector reforms and concerns about service quality, due, in part, to the Commission’s own public awareness campaign.

The report also published complaints data for individual providers and residential aged care homes for the first time, which it says gives consumers greater visibility into issues raised about specific services.

Commissioner Liz Hefren-Webb said the move will help to inform consumer decisions.

“Publishing complaints data for individual providers and residential aged care homes is an important step forward in transparency and accountability across aged care,” she said. “For the first time, people can see the complaints issues being raised about individual aged care providers and residential aged care homes, providing another source of information when making decisions about care.”

The newly public reporting includes information on complaint categories, outcomes, timeliness and requests for reconsideration.

Staffing and workforce issues remained a significant source of concern, with complaints highlighting insufficient numbers of staff, compliance with mandated care minutes and the availability of registered nurses as key sticking points.

The report also shows that the commission itself fell short of several complaints-related performance targets, including complaint resolution timeliness. The regulator aimed to resolve 80 per cent of complaints within its service standards, it achieved 70 per cent.

Similarly, positive outcomes were achieved in 70 per cent of complaints, falling short of the 80 per cent target, while complainant and provider satisfaction reached 61 per cent against a target of 65 per cent.

The Commission attributed the missed targets to the substantial increase in complaints, staff adapting to new work practices under the Aged Care Act, and reporting and data-capture challenges associated with its new case management system.

However, despite the increase in complaints, Ms Hefren-Webb said the data should not be viewed as a standalone measure.

“Complaint numbers do not, by themselves, provide a complete measure of the quality or safety of care,” she said. “They should be considered alongside other relevant information, including the size of the provider and the types of services it delivers.”

She reiterated that complaints remained a valuable source of information for providers.

“Complaints provide valuable insights into people’s experiences of aged care. Publishing this information helps providers identify emerging risks and opportunities to improve their services, and contributes to better outcomes for older people,” she said.