Observers on visits

What is the observers on visits program?
As part of our quality assurance framework, all internal quality assessors and a sample of external quality assessors are observed on accreditation site audits and assessment contacts. The observers on visits program is sometimes referred to as ‘observation visits’.

The observers on visits program reflects:

  • our commitment to performing high quality work in a way that is consistent with our values, code of conduct and the approved audit methodology
  • our commitment to effective and accurate assessment of the levels of care and services provided for residents
  • the central importance of the audits and assessment contacts to our performance in managing the accreditation of residential aged care homes and in identifying good and poor performance.

What is the purpose of observers on visits?
The program assists the us in:

  • monitoring the performance of assessors
  • providing advice and mentoring support for assessment team members
  • monitoring the accuracy of the assessment
  • assessing the effectiveness of our audit methodology
  • identifying the need and scope for improvement in the audit process
  • providing information to assist the review and evaluation of our assessment practices, support materials and mechanisms

What are the guiding principles of the program?
The guiding principles of the program include: 

  • Observation is focused on evaluating the assessment process against our policies and procedures.
  • Observers have access to information available to quality assessors for the conduct of an audit or assessment contact.
  • The observer has a duty to advise the team leader as soon as practicable of issues concerning accuracy and effectiveness that arise and have not been identified by the assessment team – for example, assessors lacking a resident focus, not following the Accreditation Agency’s procedures, not complying with the code of conduct, or misinterpreting the Standards.
  • Observation includes provision of support and advice to assessors about company policy and procedures.

What are the roles and responsibilities?

Team leader
The team leader has overall accountability for the major processes and deliverables of the team.

Observer
The observer is responsible for observing the audit and reporting on any issues identified.

Observers are provided with training in the effective conduct of observations.

Observers may be appointed to the team. Permission is sought from the approved provider or their delegate to allow the observer on site.