New guidance tool could see some aged care sexual assaults unreported for a month, advocates say

Aged care activists say a new government reporting system will mean that some assaults in aged care are not reported for up to a month.

The new reporting tool is a part of the Aged Care Safety and Quality Commission's Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS).

In practice, the reporting tool allows aged care providers to decide if an incident has had a serious impact on a resident, even if the alleged perpetrator is a staff member.

When advocate against elder abuse Dr Catherine Barrett began to explore the tool, she said she became extremely worried as she clicked through the program that it was sending the wrong message to aged care providers.