What Top Aged Care Providers Are Doing Differently in 2025: Benchmarks for Smarter, Safer Growth
In 2025, aged-care providers are operating in a radically transformed environment governance demands are higher, funding structures are shifting, and operational efficiency is no longer optional. The providers that thrive aren’t the biggest. They’re the smartest.
This operational benchmarking report breaks down what high-performing aged care providers are doing differently and how your team can learn from it.
Whether you’re managing a residential facility, a home-care operation, or a dual-funded service, these benchmarks reveal the strategies, systems, and culture shifts separating sustainable providers from those struggling to keep up.
Why Benchmarking Matters in Aged Care
Benchmarking gives leaders a compass: a way to assess performance, spot gaps, and set priorities based on what’s working in the real world.
Done right, it:
Highlights what high-performers do differently
Identifies cost sinks and risk zones
Aligns leadership teams on operational focus
Let’s dive into five key domains where top providers are pulling ahead in 2025.
1. Governance: From Compliance Burden to Strategic Advantage
What Leaders Do:
Maintain live dashboards tracking compliance across workforce, documentation, and clinical incidents
Use digital audits to reduce accreditation prep from weeks to hours
Assign governance leads with both clinical and data expertise
Benchmarks:
95%+ audit readiness across homes
Monthly internal incident reviews with trend tracking
100% care staff with in-date mandatory training
Value:
Strong governance is now a differentiator it builds trust with families, funders, and regulators. Leaders invest in systems that embed compliance into everyday workflows.
2. Workforce Efficiency: High Care Minutes, Low Burnout
What Leaders Do:
Automate rostering using staff availability, care minutes, and client acuity
Use predictive scheduling to reduce overtime and casual reliance
Run monthly workload balance reviews across care teams
Benchmarks:
90%+ roster fill with preferred staff
10–15% reduction in overtime hours YOY
20% increase in shift satisfaction scores
Value:
The best providers optimise for care continuity and team wellbeing not just coverage. Smart rostering is now a core strategic asset.
3. Documentation: From Reactive Notes to Real-Time, Structured Records
What Leaders Do:
Use AI voice capture or structured templates for progress notes
Link documentation to care plans, incident logs, and audit trails
Monitor note completion time and quality as KPIs
Benchmarks:
95%+ notes completed within 24 hours
30%+ admin time saved with AI tools
0 critical documentation gaps in internal audits
Value:
High performers treat documentation as part of care, not post-care. They reduce risk and unlock faster payments by keeping records clean, timely, and standardised.
4. Client-Centred Outcomes: From Activity Logging to Personalised Care Metrics
What Leaders Do:
Track outcome metrics beyond hours delivered (e.g., mood, mobility, independence)
Use regular digital surveys and family feedback to tune care plans
Empower care workers to co-create goals with clients
Benchmarks:
80%+ clients with monthly wellbeing reviews
2+ personal goals per client actively tracked
4.5/5 average client/family satisfaction rating
Value:
High-performing providers don’t just deliver care they measure the impact of care. That’s what gets results, builds loyalty, and wins referrals.
5. Technology Integration: From Patchwork Systems to Operational Intelligence
What Leaders Do:
Consolidate rostering, documentation, finance, and risk into one platform
Use AI to automate admin and flag early warning risks
Train staff continuously on new features and reporting tools
Benchmarks:
3+ hours admin saved per staff member per week
95% staff digital tool adoption rate
50%+ reduction in duplicated data entry
Value:
Technology isn’t a bolt-on it’s the operating system of modern aged care. High performers build capability around the tools, not just features.
3 Tools High-Performers Are Using Now
Curki.ai – AI-powered admin and compliance automation that cuts paperwork by 30%+ and boosts audit readiness
ShiftCare – Rostering and client records with voice-to-text notes and secure mobile access
AlayaCare – Outcome tracking and predictive analytics built for Support at Home reforms
How to Use This Benchmark Report
1. Run a Quick Gap Analysis
Use each of the five domains above to score your current performance:
🔴 Red: We don’t do this
🟡 Amber: We do it, but not well or consistently
🟢 Green: This is a strength
2. Pick 1 Domain to Own
You don’t need to change everything. Pick the domain with the most impact or urgency (e.g., compliance if audits are near, or workforce if turnover is high).
3. Get Expert Help
The fastest-moving providers don’t go it alone. They partner with consultancies or tech firms that understand aged care, regulation, and frontline pressure.
Final Word: Growth Without Burnout
In 2025, aged care success isn’t about cutting corners it’s about building smarter systems. High performers don’t hustle harder. They engineer excellence.
They use data to lead, automate where it counts, and never lose sight of the client experience.
If you want to move from good to great, this is your blueprint.
👉 Book a 1:1 strategy session with Curki.ai and see how high-performing providers are scaling care without scaling admin.
