Governing for quality and safety: A new province for boards of Australian aged care and disability support providers?

Abstract

The Australian Royal Commissions on aged care quality and safety, and on violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability, have raised important questions about the degree to which boards of directors of aged care and disability support providers are assuring that the organisations they govern are providing quality and safe services. This article addresses the question of to what extent changes in legislation and regulatory standards in aged care and disability create new expectations of these boards and directors. Although directors have long been held to have a duty of care and diligence, and to have responsibility for determining and monitoring an organisation's services, these expectations have been elevated to a new level in relation to quality and safety.