The
BRandA Resource Package has
been specifically designed for community service providers to support them in
implementing a quality management approach to service planning and delivery. In
structure and content the Package is cognisant of the core Standards compliance
requirements applying for the sector, and of the primacy now being given by
policy makers, researchers and industry leaders to evidence-based practice, a
philosophy that has been embraced and advocated by quality management
practitioners for many years.
Due to the
intangibility of service quality, there had been a traditional tendency by
funding bodies, policy makers and service providers to focus on objective,
measurable, “efficiency” indicators, such as numbers of consumers or unit
costs, or economies of scale. Of
significance, the adoption of a regulatory framework for residential aged care
in Australia that was outcome oriented (1987) placed emphasis on the
effectiveness of the quality system, rather than mere efficiency indicators,
and represented a watershed in international approaches to regulation for
residential aged care services. The Aged Care Reform Strategy (1997) built upon
this and also included in the regulatory framework protection of residents’ rights.
A recent major industry reform was the development of the Community Care Common
Standards (2009), with associated compliance obligations for all community aged
care providers. In common with the Accreditation Standards for residential aged
care, the Community Care Common Standards promote a social model of health,
with an outcome orientation, and an ongoing commitment to continuous
improvement.
With “effectiveness” measures now being given
primacy, policy makers, researchers and industry leaders are emphasising the
need for evidence-based practice. Managing for quality in service organisations
presents a particular challenge because service quality is inherently
subjective and personal, depending on the expectations and perceptions of the
consumer. An essential ingredient for evidence-based practice is monitoring and
measuring of outcomes and/or outputs, to enable demonstration of results, and
to provide objective baseline data for planning future improvements.
From a planning perspective, evidence-based
practice means a focus on using sound research data to inform decision-making
and care planning. It also means the development and testing of new service
delivery models that may reshape our thinking and establish new benchmarks for
good practice, to stimulate industry improvements.
From an evaluation
perspective, there is increasing acknowledgement of the need to apply this
quality management principle of evidence-based practice to the monitoring and
control of service delivery. It is through maintenance of evidentiary records
that providers are able to demonstrate the results of their practice to third
parties (auditors, assessors), in compliance with the requirements of the
specified Standard. Records provide verification of practices.
The BRandA
Resource Package offers over 100 examples of record formats from which
service providers can build a strong foundation for evidence-based practice.View the complete BRandA Resource Package here
