The November Window: A 90-Day Readiness Guide for Aged Care Providers

On 6 June 2025, the Australian Government confirmed that the rollout of the new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program would be deferred from 1 July to 1 November 2025. For many providers, the announcement felt like déjà vu. Another delay. Another round of uncertainty. Another scramble to recalibrate.

But here’s a better way to see it:

This isn’t a step back. It’s a four-month window to lead.

The Aged Care Act will bring structural changes to how aged care is governed, delivered, and measured. From mandatory 24/7 RN coverage to stronger board accountability and higher care minutes, the direction is clear: the sector is being reshaped.

This guide is designed to help aged care executives, managers, and compliance leads use the next 90 days proactively. Not to wait. Not to react. But to prepare with purpose.

Why This Delay Is More Than Just Time

Most providers weren’t against the reform. They were against the timing. The reality is, rushed transformation in a risk-averse, heavily regulated sector creates confusion, fatigue, and compliance risk.

The delay gives providers:

• Breathing room to embed new systems

• Time to train and stabilise teams

• Clarity on cost, care, and communication

But only if they act.

Doing nothing until October is the real risk. Providers who wait will face the same scramble, only closer to deadline.

A 90-Day Readiness Strategy

We’ve broken down the readiness plan into three phases. Each phase builds momentum, clarity, and control.

Phase 1: Review & Refocus (Weeks 1–3)

This is the stabilisation period. It’s not about doing more. It’s about slowing down to speed up.

1. Audit your baseline

• Review your self-assessment against the Aged Care Quality Standards and upcoming legislative requirements

• Identify gaps in care minutes delivery, board governance, consent, and incident reporting

2. Clarify internal accountability

• Who’s leading reform-readiness? Who owns documentation, training, finance, board reporting?

• Appoint a reform lead or create a taskforce with weekly check-ins

3. Map dependencies

• List key processes that will be impacted (e.g., care planning, rostering, audit prep)

• Identify systems or vendors that may need reconfiguration or support

4. Engage your board early

• Share a short reform-readiness update

• Clarify the new obligations around clinical governance and financial transparency

Phase 2: Workforce & Workflow (Weeks 4–8)

This phase is about preparing the people who will live and deliver the reform.

1. Frontline readiness

• Deliver short, practical briefings to care staff, nurses, and admins

• Focus on what’s changing in their daily workflow: care minutes, documentation, rights-based care

2. Clinical leadership

• Confirm your 24/7 RN strategy

• Build a bench of clinical team leads who can coach and escalate

3. Workflow simulations

• Test your rostering system against 215 care minutes delivery

• Simulate real-life documentation and incident response for audit-readiness

4. Governance education

• Offer a reform-focused session for board members and senior execs

• Cover personal liability, care quality oversight, and reporting duties

Phase 3: Communicate & Calibrate (Weeks 9–12)

With less than a month to go, focus turns to alignment and assurance.

1. External communication

• Update families and residents on what the reforms mean

• Reassure with clarity, not complexity

2. Internal sign-off

• Review readiness across care, HR, compliance, and finance

• Ensure key risks have mitigation plans (e.g., RN shortages, system gaps, documentation delays)

3. Practice your audit trail

• Can your team quickly produce evidence for:

  • Delivered care minutes

  • Documented incidents

  • Informed consent

  • Updated service agreements

4. Create a go-live day plan

• Assign team leads to key areas

• Have a 7-day monitor plan post-Nov 1 to track impact, issues, and outcomes

Final Thought

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about preparedness.

The Aged Care Act is happening. The delay to November doesn’t reduce its importance it amplifies the need to get it right.

For providers, this is a test of leadership. A window to act before pressure replaces planning. Use it to build confidence, clarity, and compliance you won’t have to chase later.

Because the only thing worse than rushing reform is wasting the chance to be ready for it.