NT Aged Care Home Star Ratings Guide 2024

The top rated and underperforming aged care homes across the NT have been revealed. Search and see the list and watch our exclusive video.

Exclusive: More than half of aged care homes in the Northern Territory have seen an alarming rise in the proportion of residents given antipsychotic drugs without a prescription.

More than nine per cent of residents were given the medication – often used as a sedative – without a doctor’s diagnosis over the course of a week in the recent quarter, up from 8.4 per cent in December 2023.

The shocking figures were released as part of the Star Ratings data – the measure the Department of Health and Aged Care uses to rate a facility.

In good news, six of the nine homes in the Northern Territory are performing better than last year, according to the government’s official figures.

In the national list Jungina Centre in Nightcliff was the territory’s highest rated centre, coming in at 201st.

Watch our video above on how to choose the best aged care home.

The national trend shows an improvement in performance with the average overall Star Rating now 3.7, up from 3.5 last December. Every home is rated out of 5 based on compliance, staffing, quality and what the residents think of their home in an annual independent survey.

At the moment no homes in the country have an overall Star Rating of 1. Last year there were seven. While the number of homes with 5 stars jumped from 57 to 92.

However, the latest update in the Star Ratings data, comes as a leading advocacy group has questioned whether they truly represent how a home is performing.

Older Person’s Advocacy Network (OPAN) CEO Craig Gear said people are telling them that the ratings do not accurately reflect the quality of care provided to residents and that it “leads older people into a false sense of security”.

He said while OPAN acknowledges the challenges involved in rolling out the Star Ratings across the sector “improvements are urgently needed to restore trust in the system and to enable older people to make informed decisions about where they want to live”.

“The ratings system needs to evolve through continuous improvement to ensure credibility,” Mr Gear said.

Sue, who did not want to use her surname, said the Star Ratings are meaningless. Her late husband was in a 4 Star facility, but said his care was not up to scratch.

The 69-year-old from Tasmania said following a complaint to the watchdog about food options – her husband was a vegetarian – there were six months of negotiations which came to nothing, before the case was closed.

Sue said the regulator has “very limited power and there are no guaranteed outcomes and few consequences if aged care facilities and the management do not follow the government guidelines”.

Sue and her late husband. Picture: Supplied

After the former special needs teacher died in June aged 73, Sue lodged another complaint, which is still ongoing.

“I wouldn’t trust the Star Ratings as they’re not necessarily a true reflection of care or what is actually going on day to day,” she said.

Sue’s late husband was served this unappetising vegetarian pasty served in an aged care home. Picture: Supplied

He was also served this unappetising veggie roast on Christmas Day. Picture: Supplied

Peter Willcocks, 74, who is an independent advocate for older people, said he’d like to see all the complaints about each home made public for transparency.

The government acknowledges that the system can be improved and is currently looking to “refresh” the ratings criteria and is asking for feedback on proposals.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said since the creation of Star Ratings more than two years ago, the number of aged care homes with 4 and 5 stars has substantially improved.

“Our November data shows that 69 per cent of homes (1699 homes) are now delivering good or excellent care (4 and 5 stars), a 15 per cent improvement since December 2023,” Ms Wells said.

“We will continue to develop and refine Star Ratings so they provide the transparency that older people want when choosing their care.”

Originally published as NT Aged Care Home Star Ratings Guide 2024