The Australian Government has confirmed that a mandatory quality indicator program for home care is coming. It will not start before 1 July 2026, and it will apply specifically to providers delivering services under the Support at Home program.

That gives the sector a window to prepare. But with the formal requirements still being finalised following a consultation and pilot process, a lot of home care providers are in a familiar position knowing something significant is on the way without yet having the full picture of what it will look like in practice.

Here is what has been confirmed, what is still being determined, and what the proposed framework looks like.

Why home care is getting its own QI program

The National Quality Indicator Program has applied to residential aged care since 2019. It started with three indicators and now covers fourteen, spanning clinical outcomes, consumer experience, quality of life, and staffing. The residential sector has had years to build the systems and processes needed to collect and report that data.

Home care has operated without an equivalent mandatory program. That is changing as part of the broader shift under the Aged Care Act 2024, which places home care and residential care within the same rights-based, outcomes-focused regulatory framework for the first time.

The Support at Home program, which replaced the previous Home Care Packages model from November 2025, is the vehicle through which the home care QI program will be introduced. The decision to align the start date with at least twelve months after the Support at Home launch — hence not before July 2026 — was deliberate, to give providers time to bed down the new funding arrangements before adding a new reporting obligation on top.

What the proposed QI program covers

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing ran a consultation process on the proposed home care QI program in 2024, followed by a twelve-week pilot from October 2024. The consultation paper set out seven proposed domains and sought feedback from the sector on which indicators to prioritise.

The seven proposed domains are consumer experience, service delivery and care planning, quality of life, falls and fall-related injuries, unplanned weight loss, pressure injuries, and hospitalisation.

Feedback from the consultation found that consumer experience, service delivery and care planning, and quality of life were the most important to the sector. There was broad support for starting with a small number of indicators and expanding the program over time, consistent with how the residential QI program developed.

The government confirmed that the program would start with a focused set of indicators rather than attempting to introduce all seven domains at once. The pilot tested priority indicators to inform what the final program will look like.

The five confirmed indicator areas

Following the consultation and pilot, the Government confirmed that the home care QI program will include five quality indicators. As confirmed when the government announced the five home care quality indicators, consumer experience and quality of life are among the indicator areas included in the initial program.

Consumer experience measures how clients experience the services they receive — including whether they are treated with respect, whether they feel listened to, and whether services are delivered as agreed. Quality of life measures whether clients feel their care supports them to live the life they want, maintain independence, and stay connected to the people and activities that matter to them.

The remaining confirmed indicators have not all been publicly detailed at the time of writing, and the specific questions, measurement approaches, and submission formats are still being finalised. The government has indicated that final details will be communicated to providers ahead of the 1 July 2026 start date.

How submissions will work

Based on the consultation paper and the design of the residential QI program, home care providers under the Support at Home program will be required to collect data on the confirmed indicators and submit it to the government on a regular basis, most likely quarterly.

The submission pathway is expected to use the Government Provider Management System, which is the same portal used for residential QI submissions. Specific guidance on data collection methods, eligible client definitions, and submission formats will be released by the Department ahead of the program start.

What the sector said during consultation

The engagement process gave a clear picture of where providers stand. Most supported the introduction of a home care QI program in principle, viewing it as a positive step toward measuring and monitoring the wellbeing of people accessing in-home aged care services.

The 1 July 2026 start date was considered achievable by most, though some providers indicated they would need more time and others wanted an earlier start. There was consistent feedback that providers would need funding support, technology assistance, clear guidance, and adequate preparation time to implement the program properly.

The technology question came up repeatedly. Collecting quality indicator data in home care is operationally different from residential care. Clients are dispersed, services are delivered in private homes, and staff are mobile. Providers who currently rely on manual or paper-based processes flagged that a digital solution would be necessary to make data collection workable at scale.

How this fits into the broader compliance picture for home care

The home care QI program is one of several compliance requirements that have been introduced or expanded for home care providers in recent years. Serious incident reporting for home care introduced mandatory notification obligations for reportable incidents. The Aged Care Act 2024 and the strengthened Quality Standards introduced a rights-based framework that applies across all provider types. The Support at Home program brought a new funding and service delivery model.

The QI program adds a measurement and accountability layer to this framework. It is not a standalone requirement — it is part of a pattern of increasing transparency and accountability across the home care sector that has been building for several years.

What happens next

The government has committed to communicating further detail on the home care QI program ahead of the July 2026 start. This is expected to include the finalised indicator definitions, data collection guidance, eligible client definitions, and submission requirements.

A pilot was conducted in late 2024 to test the proposed indicators in real home care settings. Results from that pilot are expected to inform the final program design. Providers should expect updated guidance from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing in 2026 as the start date approaches.