This quick guide provides a brief overview of the size, operation and regulation of residential aged care in Australia, as well as a brief summary of recent policy developments and the interim findings of the Royal Commission on Aged Care Quality and Safety, established in 2018. The paper focuses especially on the size and distribution of service providers across Victoria.

Residential care facilities in Victoria have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, linked with 381 of the 524 deaths recorded at 30 August 2020. This guide provides context for these events, but does not discuss them in detail.