Help shape aged care at RSL LifeCare

The Consumer Advisory Body, or CAB, is a group of residents, clients, families, supporters and team members. It provides a safe and structured way for people to share their experiences, ideas and feedback about care and services. The Body shares this feedback directly with the Board.  

You may be familiar with the previous name of this group, the Consumer Advisory Committee.  We have updated the name of this group to the Consumer Advisory Body to match the Aged Care Act 2024. 

What the Consumer Advisory Body does 

The Body helps RSL LifeCare: 

• • Understand what it is like to receive care and services 
  • Hear what is working well and where things can improve 
  • Identify what matters most to residents, clients and families 
  • Improve the quality and safety of services 

How your participation makes a difference 

Feedback shared through the Body is: 

• • Shared with RSL LifeCare leadership 
  • Considered by the Board 
  • Used to identify improvements 
  • Used to inform changes to services. 

This helps make sure your experiences lead to real improvements. 

The Quality Care Advisory Body, or QCAB, is a formal advisory group that supports the Board to oversee the quality and safety of care. It is a requirement under the Aged Care Act 2024.

You may be familiar with the previous name of this group, the Quality Care Advisory Committee (QCAC).  We have updated the name of this group to the Quality Care Advisory Body (QCAB) to match the Aged Care Act 2024. 

What the Quality Care Advisory Body does 

The Body helps the Board understand whether care and services are safe, effective and meeting people’s needs. 

It does this by: 

• • Reviewing the quality and safety of services 
  • Considering feedback, complaints and incidents 
  • Looking at clinical care and service performance 
  • Identifying risks and improvement opportunities 
  • Providing advice to the Board. 

This helps ensure RSL LifeCare is delivering safe, high-quality care.

The CAB and QCAB are connected. 

• • The CAB gathers feedback from residents, clients and families 
  • This feedback is shared through governance processes 
  • The QCAB considers this feedback alongside other quality information 
  • The QCAB provides advice to the Board. 

This makes sure your voice is part of decision-making about care and services. 

There are also other ways to share your feedback and be involved, depending on the type of service you receive. 

Residential Care 

If you live in one of our residential care homes, you can take part in resident forums. 

Resident forums are regular meetings held at each home where you, your family or your supporters can share feedback, raise ideas and be involved in discussions about your care and daily life. 

Resident forums: 

• • Are held monthly at each home 
  • Are open to all residents and their supporters 
  • Provide updates on what is happening in the home 
  • Allow you to share feedback, suggestions and concerns 
  • Support open communication with the RSL LifeCare team 
  • Help build connection and community within the home. 

Feedback from resident forums is recorded, followed up and used to improve services at the home. Minutes are also shared so everyone can see what was discussed and what actions have been taken. 

Home Care 

If you receive Home Care services, RSL LifeCare uses a structured approach to regularly seek your feedback. 

Consultation happens in different ways, including: 

• • Short feedback questions included with your monthly statements 
  • Conversations with your care manager during regular phone calls 
  • Informal feedback during home visits 
  • Group discussions during client outings or activities 
  • Feedback from your nominated family member or supporter.

Home Care: Supporter Consultation Form

These approaches are designed to be simple, accessible and flexible, so you can share your views in a way that works for you. 

RSL LifeCare reviews this feedback on a quarterly basis and provides updates to clients and families on what we have been told and what improvements have been made. 

Key themes from all Home Care consultation channels are shared with the Consumer Advisory Body to help inform improvements. 

• • Local forums and consultation help improve services day to day. 
  • The Consumer Advisory Body focuses on broader issues and shared experiences. 
  • The Quality Care Advisory Body considers this feedback alongside other information to support oversight of high quality care. 

This ensures your feedback is heard at every level and leads to meaningful improvements. 

If you have a concern about your own, or your loved one’s, care or a personal or confidential matter, we encourage you to raise this directly with RSL LifeCare so it can be addressed promptly. 

You can do this by: 

• • Speaking with a member of your care team 
  • Contacting the Facility or Service Manager, or your Care Manager 
  • Using RSL LifeCare’s feedback and complaints process.

This ensures your concern can be managed appropriately, followed up, and resolved in a timely way, while protecting your privacy and confidentiality.