About

GEN is a comprehensive “one–stop shop” for data and information about aged care services in Australia. It reports on capacity and activity in the aged care system focusing on the people, their care assessments and the services they use.

GEN is designed to cater for all levels of users, from students looking for information for assignments, right through to data modellers and actuaries. The data and information is presented at different levels. Each section begins with an overview and fast facts of the topic and is followed with greater detail and the option of interacting with the data.

The data that underpins each topic is available for further analysis and additional data, not necessarily displayed in a topic, is available in the Analyse section. If there is a need for data which isn’t available on GEN, it is possible to request the data.

GEN gives access to the data and information from the National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse (NACDC) which is managed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The AIHW coordinates data collected from various agencies and departments, and creates data sets for examination. It is Australia’s only central, independent repository of national aged care data. The National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse was established in 2013, with the aim of increasing the availability, accessibility and coordination of aged care data. It contains metadata and enables information management development and improved consistency across aged care data sets.

The AIHW and the Department of Health have worked together to develop GEN as part of continuous quality improvement for the NACDC.

The National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse (NACDC) holds data for all recipients of government–funded aged care from 1997 onwards, including prior activity data for those in care in 1997. The data mostly relate to government–funded aged care programs operating under the Aged Care Act 1997. These include care delivery programs (residential aged care, home care, and transition care) and assessment programs under the Act (ACAP and ACFI). Some programs not covered by the Act are also included, such as the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (formally the Commonwealth Home and Community Care Program).
Data is available for further research. Key variables include:

• people in aged care (as obtained from assessment records), such as
  • age, sex and marital status
  • location (by service location, assessment location, aged care planning region, statistical local area, local government area or state)
  • self–reported Indigenous status, language spoken at home, and country of birth
• service providers and facilities, such as
  • ownership type, location, and size by number of places (by service provider or facility)
  • status (for example, approved, accredited or operational status)
• type of aged care service received, and care needs and conditions that affect care needs (such as those recorded in the ACFI), where applicable
• payments made to providers and the number of claim days
• hours of care provided and care type or level, where applicable
• admissions, separations and number of places by type of aged care service. Data is available over time, for example by financial year, as well as at a given point in time, such as at 30 June. The data are refreshed annually to include the previous financial year ending in June. The refresh fully replaces historical data, where applicable.

For a comprehensive overview of the metadata, see the metadata documentation for researchers.
The NACDC holds and manages data according to AIHW's established security, privacy and confidentiality principles. Access to aged care data is subject to protocols that manage confidentiality risks and other concerns about potential data misuse. In some cases, an AIHW Ethics Committee approval may be required before allowing access to aged care data.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is a national information management agency providing authoritative and accessible statistics and information on Australia’s health and welfare. The AIHW was established by the Australian Government in 1987 as an independent statutory agency in the Health portfolio.

The AIHW:

• provides high-quality national health and welfare related data and analysis,
• conducts surveys and other data collection activities, and
• links data, analyses it, and writes objective and independent reports. 

Nearly 50 different topics and issues are explored including health and welfare expenditure, hospitals, disease and injury, mental health, ageing, homelessness, disability and child protection. The AIHW currently releases more than 180 reports or information products each year in addition to the flagship publications Australia’s health and Australia’s welfare.

Accurate statistical information, comprehensive data development and high-quality analyses help improve our understanding of health and welfare issues. These functions inform policy and public discussion by creating a stronger evidence base for better decision making and in turn, have a direct impact on the lives of Australians.