Third Age Health Leads New Standards To Support Quality Care For Older Aged New Zealanders

Third Age Health (TAH) leads the development of a new standard for aged care, the ‘Residential Care Medical Service Provider Standard’ aimed at improving the quality and consistency of healthcare for older New Zealanders.

The new aged care standards set out to provide a consistent framework for healthcare providers, promote patient-centred practices, and ensure services for older people align with current health needs.

These standards address long-standing gaps that fall outside traditional primary care guidelines. Older New Zealanders often face fragmented care, service delays, and poor continuity between general practice, aged residential care, and home support.

“Third Age Health is committed to advancing the level and consistency of general practice provided in aged residential care across New Zealand. These standards respond to a gap and need as current standards have not consistently addressed the increasingly complex health, functional, and psychosocial needs of older people in residential settings”, says Tony Wai, CEO, Third Age Health.

“We’re dedicated to putting appropriate standards in place where other aged care frameworks are lacking. As a sector leader, we’re focused on setting a strong foundation to support the future of general practice services in aged residential care.”

Third Age Health acknowledges that while patient experience surveys are used in traditional general practice through the Health and Safety Quality Commission, there is currently no national framework in place to capture direct feedback from aged care residents. This gap is largely due to barriers and complexities such as the digital nature of existing tools and the reliance on family or staff to respond on residents’ behalf and highlights the need for a dedicated, impartial system for gathering consumer insights in aged care health services.
 

“Older people with complex conditions, including those living in residential care, need highly skilled GPs and nurse practitioners, who are excellent communicators and are respectful and responsive. To date in NZ, we have not had a service standard specifically designed for general practice when it is provided in the residential care setting.” said Dr Jackie Broadbent, Clinical Advisory Committee Chair, Third Age Health and Geriatrician.

The development of the Residential Care Medical Service Provider Standard has seen TAH collaborate with clinicians, health organization and community stakeholders to ensure the standards reflect the needs of the population.

The TAH elder care standards have been adapted from the Foundation Standard, which was developed by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. The elder care standards also take into consideration appropriate elements from the urgent care standards from The Royal New Zealand College of Urgent Care; and the health and disability services standard created by the Ministry of Health.

Third Age Health has been working closely with the Aged Care Association (ACA), amongst others, to develop the new standards and ensure that they provide clear and consistent expectations for high-quality care that supports healthy ageing.

“The ACA welcomes the development of these standards for general practice in residential aged care. They represent an important step toward ensuring older New Zealanders receive quality, compassionate, and consistent primary care, regardless of where they live or who they are,” says Tracey Martin, Chief Executive, Aged Care Association.

“I’m pleased this framework embeds evidence-based practices, strengthens clinical oversight of general practice services, and promotes a truly person-centred approach, helping to close long-standing gaps in the medical care available within residential aged care.”

Third Age Health is progressing through the next stages with the view of securing further endorsement from Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and The Royal NZ College of GP so that other organisations can utilise the standards in the future. The long-term vision is for the elder care standards to be recognised with the same level of authority and structure in alignment with existing primary care standards.

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