6. Continuous improvement

In general terms, continuous improvement is based on the importance of continually updating, adapting and improving processes and services to ensure you are meeting the needs of your consumers, staff, organisational requirements and government regulatory agencies. Wikipedia describes continuous improvement as:

A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement proccess (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services or processes. These efforts can seek incremental improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility.

Continual improvement process, Wikipedia.

Continuous improvement for the Aged Care Sector is more directed specifically at tangible outcomes and quality processes that help to govern and drive positive improvements and change. The Australian Governments Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission describes continuous improvement in the following terms:

Continuous improvement is a systematic, ongoing effort to improve the quality of care and services. It:

• considers the needs of a provider's consumers and may involve them in improvement activities;
• is part of an overall quality system that assesses how well a provider's systems are working and the standard of care and services achieved; and
• is a results-focused activity demonstrated through outputs and outcomes.

To be effective, continuous improvement must be a provider's central focus, be understood at all levels and accepted by all management and staff.

Continuous improvement, Australian Government, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Either way, it is clear that it is a concerted and regular process that is designed to drive improvements for all involved.