Aged care remains one of the more heavily regulated industries in Australia. The Australian government sets new standards every few years for the number of minutes of daily care each patient must receive from carers and registered nurses. The most recent legislation has introduced a new series of regulations.
Evelina King, Director of Customer Success, and Tejas Rajender, Account Relationship Manager, APJ, at WorkForce Software, an ADP company, sat down to discuss how staff rostering software is adapting to support compliance requirements, improve the employee experience and integrate with CSM (client system management) and payroll systems.
How Will the New Aged Care Act Affect Care Providers?
Care minutes which now sits under the Aged Care Act 2025 introduced mandatory care minutes reporting, which directly links government funding to providers based on the amount of care delivered from October 2025, particularly by registered nurses (RNs).
What Are the New Requirements for the New Aged Care Act?
Providers must meet specific targets for total care minutes and RN minutes per resident and will be evaluated after April 2026. All care providers operating in the industry need to adjust their time tracking and ensure staff availability to meet these new standards. EmpLive is enabling aged care organisations to manage these requirements by streamlining rostering, time tracking and payroll integration. Our software can be configured to account for complex rules and awards like SCHADS (Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award) and care minutes to support you in meeting these new standards.
Changes in Aged Care Are Affecting How HR Software Meets the Needs of the Industry
HR technology is adapting to the changing needs across industries, but streamlining time and attendance in aged care is positively impacting an overburdened industry. Aged care leaders can use staff rostering software like EmpLive to automate the shift swapping process and allow employees to access shift information on a mobile app. Configuring your roster system to review shift changes and approve them based on parameters you set empowers employees to own their time and adjust their shifts whilst avoiding too many overtime shifts being approved.
“Having the ability to shift swap on the app has been revolutionary for the industry overall. Previously, it was calling your manager, and the manager trying to find more people. Now all of this is automated in the app.”
— Evelina King, Director of Customer Success, APJ
Aged Care Industry’s Shifting Priorities in Workforce Management
HR leaders in the industry have shifted their focus not only to retain carers but to make them a priority to boost employee engagement. With staffing shortages across the sector, providers are focusing on tools that support carers to improve retention. Mobile-first features on EmpLive like shift availability, leave requests, shift bidding and shift swaps are giving nurses more control over their rosters whilst maintaining continuity of care.
Integration is another critical factor for providers when evaluating HR software. Many providers use Client Management Systems (CMS) to manage care delivery and route optimisation. EmpLive’s ability to integrate with CMS and payroll systems ensures that care minutes are accurately captured and reported, supporting both operational efficiency and legislative compliance.
Rajender states, “One of the most important advantages that EmpLive has is the number of connections we have with different payroll providers.” EmpLive’s payroll-agnostic design gives providers the freedom to choose their preferred payroll system, whilst maintaining that all data exports are more accurate and remain compliant.
Aged care providers will continue to face strict compliance requirements and growing demand for transparency whilst competing to retain talent. HR tools like EmpLive can support aged care leaders in meeting today’s requirements, whilst preparing for their ability to meet future compliance demands.
For a more in-depth understanding of how EmpLive can meet your aged care compliance needs, watch the full conversation between Evelina King and Tejas Rajender.
