The Department of Health and Aged Care is consulting with older people, the aged care sector and design experts to improve the design of residential aged care accommodation. This is in response to recommendation 45 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report.

These consultations are helping create a new Residential Aged Care Accommodation Framework. This includes National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines (Design Principles and Guidelines) to be introduced 1 July 2024.

These Draft Design Principles and Guidelines have been developed following extensive consultation and provide a comprehensive, evidence-based resource to guide the design of accommodation that supports high quality, safe, respectful and dignified care.

The draft Design Principles and Guidelines include 4 design principles:

• Enable the person
  Support people living in a place that maintains their health, wellbeing and a sense of identity.
• Cultivate a home
  Create a familiar environment in which people have privacy, control and feel they belong.
• Access to outdoors
  Support people seeing, accessing and spending time outdoors in contact with nature.
• Connect with community
  Encourage people to connect with family, friends and community, continuing to participate in meaningful activities.

Each principle is supported by a set of guidelines and checklists of practical changes. These can be adopted when undertaking minor refurbishments, major renovations, and constructing new aged care homes.