Raising the Bar What is ‘quality care’ in care homes across NZ?

When families begin looking for a care home, the word quality is everywhere. But what does it really mean? How can you be confident it’s part of the fabric and day-to-day delivery of care?

Across Aotearoa, care homes operate under some of the most rigorous certification standards in the world. Every couple of years, each home undergoes an intensive, sometimes multi-day, audit carried out by independent assessors.

These audits scrutinise everything from clinical care and staffing, to resident wellbeing, safety systems, cultural practice, leadership and governance, as well as feedback sought from residents, families and staff.

Passing isn’t automatic. Strong results are earned - and they matter. They are a significant marker of trust for whānau, and an important signal of accountability and excellence for the wider community.

Over the past 12 months, Presbyterian Support Otago’s Enliven care homes have navigated a particularly demanding audit cycle. Full certification audits were successfully completed at Taieri Court, Iona, Holmdene, Ranui and Castlewood. Ross Home and St Andrew’s also achieved positive outcomes through their surveillance audits.

Holmdene team

Each audit stands alone – detailed and rigorous. Together, they represent a huge amount of mahi from front line teams, clinical leaders and quality specialists working behind the scenes to uphold the highest standards of care. The teams are constantly looking at opportunities for improvement and quality initiatives.

What makes this year especially notable is the recognition of continuous improvements at Iona and Holmdene and the four-year certification awarded to Holmdene. Within New Zealand’s certification system, a continuous improvement is not a correction – it is an accolade. It recognises performance that goes beyond already high national standards, highlighting innovation, excellence or outcomes that exceed industry norms.

For families considering care, these results offer reassurance. They tell a clear story: when care is held to the highest standards – and then lifted even further – people thrive. And you can see that excellence echoed in everyday life.
Strong certification results matter. Continuous improvement recognition matters. So do clinical leadership, governance, and quality systems.

Resident painting rocks

These are supported by dedicated professionals — including quality specialists like Jo Sime, our clinical leaders, and our newly appointed Clinical Services Lead, Pam Prasad. Working within our care homes and alongside care teams, they continue to lift the bar.

“There are a lot of clinical initiatives that are ongoing, that go above and beyond the required standards” – Auditor comments, Holmdene’s certification audit.

“The communication was great”, “Mum always looks cared for and is well dressed” – Family comments, St Andrews’ surveillance audit.

Enliven Services