Australia updates aged care data and digital action plan

Australia’s Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has published the second-year action plan for its Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy 2024–2029, setting out how data and digital reforms will support implementation of the new Aged Care Act and broader modernisation across the sector.

The plan says its central role in the second year is to support reforms linked to the new Act, including changes to critical government platforms such as the Government Provider Management System and My Aged Care. The strategy’s stated vision is to deliver person-centred care for older people while supporting a sustainable care economy through data and digital innovation.

Its second-year actions are organised around four outcomes: improving navigation and participation for older people and support networks; digitally empowering workers and providers; enabling secure data sharing and reuse; and strengthening modern digital foundations across the aged care system. The summary table on page 4 groups actions under those four outcomes and eight priorities.

Among the consumer-facing measures, the plan includes further development of the LiveUp healthy ageing tool, continued support for the Be Connected program on digital and health literacy, and additional enhancements to My Aged Care, including reforms-linked updates and consideration of translated content. The document says these steps are intended to make digital services more accessible and easier to use for older people and their support networks.

For workers and providers, the plan includes virtual nursing trials in residential aged care, work to enable ePrescribing in electronic National Residential Medication Charts, expansion of the KeepAble wellness and reablement tool, updates to the Integrated Assessment Tool, and continued efforts to improve worker digital literacy. It also includes ongoing work on advanced care planning and end-of-life care support through national resources and digital tools.

On data and infrastructure, the action plan outlines continued work on an aged care data governance framework, expansion of the Government Provider Management System as a single provider portal, further development of the Aged Care National Minimum Data Set, and wider use of the National Aged Care Data Asset through the National Health Data Hub. It also includes business-to-government connectivity work to expand APIs for provider reporting.

The plan also gives AI a defined place within aged care reform. On page 23, the department says emerging technologies, including AI, have the potential to increase efficiency, improve care, and deliver better outcomes for older people.

Planned actions include publishing the report from its public consultation on safe and effective AI use, developing a policy position to guide safe AI use in health and aged care, and promoting pilots and programs in promising areas. A separate pilot on page 25 proposes testing an AI application to generate care and rehabilitation plans for older people recovering from stroke.

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