Improving the Aged Care Star Ratings system

What happened?

The Office began monitoring issues with the Department of Health and Aged Care’s (the department’s) Star Ratings system (star ratings) in January 2024, following media reports that star ratings may not provide meaningful information about residential aged care services’ quality of care.

How did we investigate?

We sought information from the department about star ratings. Based on the information provided, we were concerned that star ratings:

• did not include all relevant non-compliance information
• included information that was technical and lacked detail
• could better provide assurance to the public about the accuracy of its datasets and ratings.

What did we do?

At the time, the department was undertaking an independent evaluation into star ratings, and legislative changes were expected to be introduced.

Due to this, the Ombudsman decided to make a public statement in October 2024 to encourage the department to consider and act upon his concerns in its evaluation of star ratings, and to assure the public that the Office was monitoring the issue.

During a roundtable we hosted in November 2024, the Ombudsman heard from an aged care peak body that the Office’s recognition of issues with star ratings was valuable and validated the concerns of the sector.

In December 2024, the Office again brought its concerns to the department’s attention by making a submission on the department’s proposed design changes for star ratings.

Outcome of our inquiry

In March 2025, the department proposed reforms to star ratings, including a number of changes to address the concerns outlined in our public statement and submission.

The Office continues to monitor this issue.