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About Assessors
- What is the role of an assessor?
- What qualifications do assessors have?
- What is an assessment team?
- Can assessors be nominated?
- Can the provider object to the assessors appointed to the team?
- What do assessors do with the information they collect?
| What is the role of an assessor? |
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Aged care quality assessors play an important role in the accreditation process. They provide the independent assessment that leads to an accreditation decision, and participate in ongoing monitoring on behalf of the Agency. Assessors are often referred to as assessment teams and quality assessors. Assessors are responsible for assessment of homes, and they do this by conducting three types of visits – site audits for accreditation, support contacts and review audits. In assessing performance, assessors will do so in a manner which will assist the home to demonstrate compliance with the Accreditation Standards and to undertake continuous improvement. Assessors make recommendations to the Agency about:
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| What qualifications do assessors have? |
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All assessors complete a training course approved by the Agency and are registered as aged care quality assessors by RABQSA International Inc (RABQSA). Assessors must update their registration yearly with RABQSA. Anyone can check with RABQSA to see whether a person is registered:
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| What is an assessment team? |
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An assessment team is made up of registered aged care quality assessors will be created by the Agency to assess each application for accreditation and undertake support contacts or review audits. Assessment teams will generally consist of two or more assessors. An assessment team may comprise one member, except for review audits when the team must comprise at least two assessors. The size and skill mix of the assessment team depends on several factors, including the size of the home, any identified special needs and the mix of low and high care residents. In creating and appointing assessment teams, the Agency will ensure that each assessor:
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| Can assessors be nominated? |
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The provider may nominate assessors to be members of assessment teams for the site audit for accreditation. The Agency will check the eligibility of any nominated assessors according to the criteria set out above, and notify the provider of the outcome. If the Agency has not included at least one of the nominated assessors, the provider may ask the Agency to reconsider that decision. Assessors are not nominated for support contacts or review audits. |
| Can the provider object to the assessors appointed to the team? |
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The provider may object to the inclusion of any member of a proposed team appointed by the Agency to conduct a site audit for an accreditation visit. The objection must be made in writing within 14 days of being told about the team, and be based on the eligibility criteria as set out above. The Agency will consider the objection and make a decision on whether to uphold the objection and create a new assessment team, or whether to reject the objection. The Agency will notify the provider of its decision in writing, giving reasons for that decision. If the provider is still unhappy with a decision about assessment team members, a request may be made for a review of the decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. |
| What do assessors do with the information they collect? |
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Assessors:
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