The Aged Care Act (2024) will take effect in just a few weeks. While these new standards uphold greater quality of care, accountability and transparency, they are also the catalyst for a long overdue and significant digital transformation throughout the industry. The complex and multi-faceted requirements of aged care service providers deserve digital capability that can handle current needs and grow with demand as well as the rapid technological advancements on the horizon. Salesforce, a globally recognised leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can help you put people at the centre of aged care.
How Did We Get Here: Industry Overview
Australia’s aged care sector is expected to have the capacity to deliver services to over 1.5 million people by 20581. Up from 515,000 in 2018-2019, this increase will see progressively older, frailer Australians with a higher incidence of health conditions and disorders.
On the other side of the equation, a comparatively smaller working population will be providing this care. This inevitable demographic shift will place strain on availability of staff as well as services, with the expectation that high quality standards are maintained across all facets of delivery.
Following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety – published in March 2021 – 148 recommendations were put forward to ‘place people at the centre’ of aged care.
Additionally, Star Ratings were introduced for aged care homes in December 2022 rating resident perception of care and quality as a tool for comparison and research through My Aged Care.
Coupled with the Australian Government’s commitment to broader aged care reform through digital transformation2, the new Aged Care Act will take effect from 1 July 20253 and underpins responses to 58 Royal Commission recommendations.
Future older Australians can and should expect to receive quality care that supports their physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing, increases safety and accountability, and operates in a strong and regulated framework.
Due to the wide-ranging improvement needed and vast amount of data and processes these reforms cover, the key to success was always going to be tech-led.
How Technology Will Buoy the Industry
The aged care sector has an urgent need for digitalisation; both at the organisational level and the staff level.
Following is a list of routine tasks Salesforce can help manage for your service. Compare this with your current solution:
- Prove compliance with your regulatory requirements
- Pull reports on resident demographics across your services
- Review the validity of staff qualifications and training
- Match residents with appropriate care workers
- Check resident care notes and assessment forms
- Review Support at Home participant wellness goals and progress
- Track care management activities
- Tailor communication and engagement for diverse audiences
- Onboard and train new staff on every necessary platform
- Analyse budgets and funding
- Complete incident management reporting and reviews
- Analyse feedback and complaints
Compliance and high-quality care can and should go hand-in-hand whether it’s under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, the Support at Home Program, and/or residential care. With Salesforce, customised digital tools can be built to match and anticipate your needs improving resource management, service coordination and reporting while simultaneously bettering quality of life for residents.
Streamlined Operations With Salesforce
As an executive, you are well aware of the importance of operational streamlining. As one of the world’s largest platforms, one of the many benefits of Salesforce lies in its size; a multitude of independent software companies build integrations specifically to connect their platform to Salesforce. Your organisation can consolidate various functions into one platform, providing one source of truth for all of your data around individuals, agencies, staff, budgeting, analytics, assessments and more.
What if you could bring disparate functions like admissions, billing, care management and reporting into a single system? At SalesFix we’ve found that many of our clients across a range of sectors report a reduction in administrative burden and staff efficiency alongside a minimised risk of errors. Translating this to aged care, we expect to see care providers able to more easily manage dedicated care minutes for each resident as a result of improved admin workflows.
Enhanced Aged Care Delivery Through Salesforce Data
Putting people at the centre is what Salesforce is designed for. While it was originally developed in 1999 as a digital CRM solution for tracking B2B sales leads (as the name suggests), it has since evolved into something much more powerful and adaptable across the spectrum of industry.
Through data analytics, aged care providers can access insights into resident needs and preferences, allowing for tailored care plans.
One of Salesforce’s mature and well-established applications is Salesforce Health Cloud which facilitates comprehensive health management for individuals by integrating clinical and non-clinical data. Using real-time data, care providers can make informed decisions and provide timely interventions.
SalesFix has helped a number of Australian organisations successfully transition to Salesforce as their case management solution with minimal downtime and smooth data migration. Across disability, aged care and for-purpose sectors, clients have seen radically improved outcomes in people-centred care, resolution timeframes, staff efficiency and reporting capabilities.
Salesforce empowers aged care organisations to deliver more personalised and effective care, so staff can do the work they got into the field to do.
Improved Aged Care Resident Satisfaction
Resident satisfaction is derived from a multitude of factors spanning staff care, food service, social interaction, autonomy, healthcare needs and personal limitations. This satisfaction can be supported through technology.
Salesforce offers opportunities to enhance communication between residents, families and care providers. Client Portals allow families to access a secure online portal to view their loved one’s care plans, health records, benefits and usage, and communication from the care provider. This allows self management and family visibility, keeping everyone informed of developments for informed decision making.
Resident benefits from the capabilities of a Salesforce solution extend far beyond data and will contribute to proactive and appropriate measures that improve the quality of their care.
Supported Compliance and Quality Assurance
Business-to-Government (B2G) and Government Provider Management System (GPMS) interoperability has presented some challenges for aged care providers with their current software platforms. Alongside ongoing reforms, compliance with regulatory standards is a constant and legitimate concern within the industry.
Salesforce has robust reporting and analytic capability that enables providers to track and document compliance efforts in a much more efficient manner than other platforms. Comprehensive and customised dashboards in compatible output formats can be built specifically for your organisation. Run in tandem with automated alerts, Salesforce can transform the monthly, quarterly and annual report chaos into a metered and straight-forward process and reduce the risk of penalties.
Salesforce: Essential for Australian Aged Care Providers
Digital transformation is imperative as the Australian aged care sector evolves and grows through necessary reforms. Salesforce provides the tools and insights needed to deliver high-quality, personalised care in one platform while maintaining compliance and operational efficiency. The complexity and diversity of residents, providers and their communities can be addressed with confidence well into the future.
Looking to enhance your aged care operations with Salesforce? Contact Richard at [email protected] to explore tailored solutions.
Richard Fleming
Account Executive & Aged Care Solutions Expert
References and Sources:
- Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. (2021). Final Report: Care, Dignity and Respect.
- Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care. (2023). Digital Transformation in Aged Care.
- Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care. (2025). New Aged Care Act.
- Salesforce Health Cloud. (n.d.). Transforming Patient and Member Care Experiences.