As Australia’s aged care sector prepares for the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (July 2025), attention has rightly turned to training systems, quality data, and front-line workforce capacity. But there’s a more foundational question many governing boards have yet to ask: Are we, at the governance level, truly ready to lead workforce capability as a strategy, not just an operational task?
This is not just a compliance moment. It’s a capability moment.
Governance of Quality is Governance of Workforce
Research from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) makes clear that governing boards have a measurable impact on care quality. Boards that spend more time on quality oversight correlate with better organisational performance on safety and outcome indicators [1]. Quality governance is more than incident reviews, it must now include workforce strategy, improvement culture, and learning infrastructure.
Workforce Capability: A Socio-Technical Governance Challenge
Workforce capability is about training and whether people, processes, and technologies are aligned to deliver consistent, person-centred care. Drawing on systems theory [2], real change emerges when feedback loops are strong and the system’s purpose is reinforced. Boards must blend human insight, wellbeing, and data into a coherent view of learning-to-care translation.
What Boards Must Do Next: From Curiosity to Capability Oversight
1. Establish a Strategic Line of Sight
Capability starts in the boardroom. Make workforce capability a strategic objective. Ensure the board understands how workforce capability development links to care outcomes.
2. Expect Evidence, Not Just Effort
How do our investments in staff development actually influence outcomes? Are we learning from the data, or just collecting it? Ask for qualitative and quantitative evidence of capability growth.
3. Support a Learning System
Capability is not a cost. It is a driver of care quality, staff wellbeing, and long-term sustainability. Invest in time and infrastructure that supports reflective practice and coaching [3].
4. Create Conditions for Psychological Safety
Do we have the structures, culture, and support to allow our people to thrive under pressure? Capability needs safety. Boards must govern for cultures where staff can speak up.
5. Make Capability a Standing Agenda Item
Governing not just safety but the systems that enable safety. Ask for real stories of how learning has impacted care.
Conclusion
Preparing for accreditation is about more than ticking boxes. It’s about creating resilient, adaptive systems where empowered staff provide high-quality care. As we look toward July 2025, let’s lead with intention, curiosity, and the courage to govern differently.
Governing for capability ensures aged care providers meet standards and create better futures for Australians and the workforce that serves them.
References
- [1] Institute for Healthcare Improvement (2018). Framework for Effective Board Governance of Health System Quality. Boston, MA.
- [2] Meadows, D. (2008). Thinking in Systems: A Primer. Chelsea Green Publishing.
- [3] Patterson, K. (2019). Quality as a Strategy, Learning as a System. Clinical Excellence Commission.
Author
Dr Karen Patterson
Dr Karen Patterson (PhD) is Ausmed’s inaugural Chief Nursing Officer, leading the organisation’s clinical governance and workforce capability strategies. With a distinguished career in health leadership, governance, and workforce development, she brings extensive expertise in clinical excellence, regulatory compliance, and professional development across diverse healthcare settings.
Karen firmly believes that a skilled, equipped, supported, and engaged healthcare workforce is fundamental to providing safer, more effective care with meaningful outcomes — benefiting individuals, communities, and the broader health system.
At Ausmed, she is committed to advancing nursing education, supporting providers in meeting evolving standards, and strengthening workforce capability to drive better care and healthier communities.
