All rest homes and aged residential care facilities are certified and audited to ensure they:
- provide safe, appropriate care for their residents
- meet the standards set out in the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001.
Audit findings
The Ministry publishes audit reports for all rest homes in our database of certified rest home providers.
Types of audit and when they happen
Certification and surveillance audits
Certification audits happen every one to 4 years. After the audit, rest homes are certified for a set period of time: the exact length depends on how well the rest home performed at the certification audit. Once this time is up, the rest home must be re-audited and its certification renewed.
An unannounced spot audit (also called a surveillance audit) happens around the middle of a rest home’s certification period. The spot audit ensures progress has been made on outstanding areas identified in the earlier certification audit and that standards haven’t slipped.
In addition to audits, rest homes have to report to their DHB on how they are addressing issues found at audit. These improvements are then verified at the next audit event.
Other types of audit
Provisional audits happen when a provider purchases a certified rest home from another provider.
Partial provisional audits happen when:
- a provider wants to add services to their certificate (for example, a rest home adding hospital-level care)
- a new rest home is built
- a provider adds capacity or reconfigures their services (for example, builds a new wing, upgrades rooms).
Before 2014, audits for adding capacity or reconfiguring services were referred to as verification audits.
Ministry of Health inspections
Rest homes may have unannounced inspections by the Ministry of Health under the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001 in the event of a serious complaint.
DHB issues-based audits
DHBs can conduct issues-based audits under the Aged Related Residential Care Contract. For information on these audits please contact the relevant DHB.
How are the audits conducted?
Designated auditing agencies audit rest homes. Each audit team includes at least one registered nurse.
The audit team looks at:
- staff
- the way residents are cared for
- how the staff interact with residents
- the general environment
- clinical records, policies and procedures.
They also interview staff, residents and family members.
