What are multi-purpose services?
Multi-purpose services (MPS) are rural healthcare facilities that provide a combination of services. The services meet local needs and may include:
- inpatient care
- respite and palliative care
- emergency care
- allied health care
- primary health care
- residential aged care.1
MPS facilities offer limited hospital services to local communities and house hundreds of residents. In NSW, MPS have more beds for residential aged care than for hospital inpatient care.
Residents in MPS are not patients; the facility is their home. Creating a homelike environment that emphasises lifestyle, leisure, nutrition, independence, choice and control contributes to their wellness.2 This involves adapting the environment and the way care is delivered to meet their cultural needs.
MPS staff provide both lifestyle-based care for aged care residents while also handling clinical care for inpatients, emergencies and community services. This resource aims to support MPS staff to provide person-centred care across all areas.
Supporting improvements in care
This resource supports MPS teams to improve resident care in line with the Aged Care Quality Standards, promoting lifestyle, independence and wellbeing.
The principles of care outline key requirements and offer practical strategies for driving change.
A self-assessment checklist helps staff, families and carers identify strengths and areas for improvement; and the action plan helps services to track progress.
Commitment to culture
Aboriginal people require cultural recognition and responsive care. Each principle of care offers an opportunity to embed cultural safety through respectful adaptation and inclusion.
Accreditation requirements
This resource provides practical strategies to assist MPS to meet accreditation requirements. When they implement the principles of care, facilities create evidence of compliance with the Aged Care Quality Standards.
MPS delivering acute and sub-acute health services must be accredited to the National Safety and Quality Health Care (NSQHC) Standards prescribed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQHC).3 If an MPS provides aged care services, it must also be accredited to the Aged Care Quality Standards.
MPS completing the NSQHC Standards and MPS Aged Care Module do not need to be assessed separately against the Aged Care Quality Standards, as per Australian Government requirements.
Eligible MPS can be accredited to the NSQHS Standards and the MPS Aged Care Module using a streamlined assessment process under the Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation (AHSSQA) Scheme.3
This resource addresses gaps that may exist between the NSQHC and the Aged Care Quality Standards. The principles of care, self-assessment checklist and action plan give staff the tools needed to adopt person-centred residential aged care approaches.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the NSW Multi-purpose Services Reference Group for developing the original version of the Living Well in MPS toolkit in 2016 as part of the Living Well in MPS Collaborative. We also acknowledge the contributions from each of the rural local health districts.
References
- NSW Health. Multi-Purpose Services (MPS). Sydney: NSW Health; 2024 [updated 27 Jun 2024; cited 15 Oct 2024].
- Goring S, Loshak, H. Homelike Models of Long-Term Care: A 2021 Update. Canadian Journal of Health Technologies. 2021;1(11).
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module. Sydney: ACSQHC; 2024 [cited 15 Oct 2024].