Addressing the Malnutrition Crisis in Australian Residential Aged Care Services using the Aged Care Triage by Allied Health (ACTAH) Model

Malnutrition was identified by the 2021 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety as a national crisis in residential aged care services (RACS). The Federal Government has implemented new Quality Indicators (QIs) and RACS reporting requirements, but work is needed to ensure these changes have impact and can make a measurable difference to malnutrition prevalence and quality of life of residents. The Aged Care Triage by Allied Health (ACTAH) project will address this urgent need. ACTAH is an innovative model of care using health professional students to triage RACS residents according to their malnutrition risk and identify who needs further care. The ACTAH research team will conduct malnutrition assessment of approximately 750 residents (8 locations) and implement an evidence based malnutrition intervention pathway for those who need it. This project will test a model with the potential to improve resident health without adding to the workload of RACS staff. ACTAH brings the added benefit of providing allied health students with direct RACS experience, increasing their preparedness to work in this setting. The project will work with representatives of the Department of Health and Aged Care to consider as part of future updates of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program.