NDIS participants in residential aged care

Residential aged care providers supporting NDIS participants became registered with the NDIS Commission on 1 December 2020

On 1 December 2020, residential aged care (RAC) providers supporting NDIS participants were registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Before that RAC providers only had to meet the NDIS Code of Conduct.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission will:

  • help you, and your families and carers, by responding to your concerns or complaints
  • uphold your right to be free from harm
  • promote safe and quality services
  • abide by the NDIS Code of Conduct and Practice Standards for providers and workers
  • manage incidents involving participants
  • report incidents, including abuse and neglect, to the NDIS Commission
  • promote positive behaviour support.

We are working to help RAC providers to understand the why it’s important that NDIS safeguards are available to NDIS participants living in these places.

If you are an NDIS participant living in residential aged care, this change does not affect the supports that you receive. Your RAC provider and their workers are already required to abide by the NDIS Code of Conduct, which upholds your right to be treated with respect, free from exploitation, violence, abuse and neglect. They are also required to deliver supports to you that meet the standards, to let us know about serious incidents that affect you, and to deliver behaviour supports protections, if you need them, the same as all other NDIS providers.

NDIS participant handbook and fact sheet

On 31 October 2022Catherine Myers, Deputy Commissioner, Regulatory Operations (Registrar) wrote to Residential aged care providers (RAC) providers supporting NDIS participants within their facilities informing that the NDIS Commission in partnership with an appropriately qualified supplier had developed a suite of tools, resources and webinars to assist RAC providers supporting NDIS participants in their facilities to meet the requirements of NDIS Commission registration processes, particularly third party audits.

Residential aged care audits

This section contains links to information in EasyRead format

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EasyRead logo

Residential aged care facilities may also have an NDIS audit if there are NDIS participants living there.

To support and inform NDIS participants living in Residential aged care and their supporters with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) audit process, the NDIS Commission have developed an Easy Read NDIS Participant Handbook and Easy Read Fact sheet

Find out more information about Audits for NDIS participants in residential aged care below:

The NDIS Commission want to make sure NDIS participants feel safe and have quality supports and services.

More Audit Factsheets for participants are available on the NDIS Commission website on our NDIS audit information for participants page

Code of Conduct for Aged Care

From 1 December 2022, a Code of Conduct for Aged Care (the Aged Care Code) will be introduced. The Code gives the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) the power to deal with behaviour that does not meet the Code. The Code has been developed based on the existing NDIS Code of Conduct. The NDIS Commission will continue to regulate and enforce its existing NDIS Code of Conduct for NDIS supports and services. The obligations under the aged care and NDIS codes are substantially the same, with slight differences in language and definitions that are specific to each sector. You can find more information about the Aged Care Code for aged care consumers on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s website

Who to call if you have a complaint

If you have a complaint about:

  • the NDIS supports and services you receive from your RAC provider, call the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544. It’s OK to complain – speaking up can help to improve services for yourself and others.
  • care and services provided under the Aged Care Act 1997, call the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on 1800 951 822.

If you are not sure who to contact, please contact us. We will work with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to resolve your concerns.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for people with disability

Visit our Coronavirus (COVID-19) webpage for people with disability for links to updates about COVID-19 and resources for NDIS participants.

Younger People in Residential Aged Care

The Younger People in Residential Aged Care Strategy 2020-25 (the Strategy) was released on 30 September 2020.

The Strategy covers all younger people under the age of 65 living in, or at risk of entering, residential aged care, including providing choice to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people between 50 and 64 years of age who are eligible for the aged care system. Information about the strategy is available on the Department of Social Services website.

Support for younger people in residential aged care is also available from the Summer Foundation

Related resources

On 31 October 2022, Catherine Myers, Assistant Commissioner - Regulatory Operations Branch wrote to Residential aged care providers (RAC) providers supporting NDIS participants within their facilities informing that the NDIS Commission in partnership with an appropriately qualified supplier had developed a suite of tools, resources and webinars to assist RAC providers supporting NDIS participants in their facilities to meet the requirements of NDIS Commission registration processes, particularly third party audits.