Does size matter in aged care facilities? A literature review of the relationship between the number of facility beds and quality.

Background: Theory suggests that structural factors such as aged care facility size (bed numbers) will influence service quality. There have been no recent published studies in support of this theory, and consequently, the available literature has not been useful in assisting decision makers with investment decisions on facility size.

Purpose: The study aimed to address that deficit by reviewing the international literature on the relationships between the size of residential aged care facilities, measured by number of beds, and service quality.

Quality failures in residential aged care in Australia: The relationship between structural factors and regulation imposed sanctions.

Aim: To examine the relationship between structural factors and the imposition of sanctions on residential aged care services across Australia for regulatory compliance failure.

Methods: Poisson Regression analysis was used to examine the association between the number of sanctions imposed and the structural characteristics of residential aged care services in Australia.

Results: Residential aged care services that have a greater likelihood of having government sanctions imposed on them are operated by for-profit providers and located in remote locations and in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.