NABH Introduces Care Home Accreditation Standards to Enhance Quality & Safety

Services covered by these standards range from skilled nursing care to health aide services and homemaker assistance.

The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) has launched the first edition of its Care Home Accreditation Standards, a key initiative aimed at improving the quality and safety in care homes across India.

This announcement by NABH CEO Dr Atul Mohan Kochhar is intended to address the growing needs of the aging, ill, and disabled populations by establishing structured, quality-driven guidelines for facilities offering skilled nursing care and personal assistance.

According to Dr Kochhar, "These new standards for care homes are a critical step in addressing the evolving needs of residents and ensuring their safety and well-being in a structured and quality-driven environment."

The standards introduced by NABH are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of care homes, which provide both medical and non-medical care to some of society's most vulnerable populations.

Services covered by these standards range from skilled nursing care to health aide services and homemaker assistance.

By focusing on the safety and quality of services, the guidelines aim to improve daily life for care home residents, particularly in a fast-evolving healthcare environment.

These standards ensure safety at every level, from medical attention to basic personal care, creating a safer environment for residents.

A Collaborative & Practical Approach

Developed through the input of a wide range of stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, care home administrators, and patient advocacy groups, the standards reflect the practical challenges faced by care home facilities.

Care homes interested in earning NABH accreditation can start by conducting a self-assessment using the Self-Assessment Toolkit (SAT) provided by NABH.

This toolkit helps facilities evaluate their readiness before undergoing an onsite evaluation to confirm compliance with the new standards.

NABH has also launched an online portal designed to simplify the accreditation process, enabling care homes to submit their assessments and track their progress.

"These standards are a roadmap for care home centers to progressively build a mature quality system. By adhering to these guidelines, care homes can achieve advanced accreditation and continuously improve the quality of care they provide," said Dr Kochhar.

Key Performance Indicators

To help care homes monitor their adherence to the guidelines, the NABH Care Home Accreditation Standards come with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that track progress in essential areas such as resident care and safety.

These KPIs are crucial for ensuring that care homes meet key benchmarks and continuously improve the services they offer to their residents.

The standards are freely accessible on the NABH website, ensuring that all care homes—regardless of size or resources—can benefit from this initiative. By making the standards available for download, NABH hopes to encourage widespread adoption across the country.

Addressing Challenges in the Care Home Sector

As India’s aging population grows, care homes are becoming increasingly vital. These facilities offer long-term support to individuals who are elderly, disabled, or suffering from chronic illnesses.

Despite their importance, many care homes have struggled with maintaining consistent quality standards.

Dr Kochhar emphasized that the newly introduced standards aim to address these challenges by providing a framework for continuous improvement.

“By implementing these standards, care homes can improve their service delivery and raise the bar for quality care, leading to better outcomes for residents,” he said.

NABH is encouraging all care homes across India to apply for accreditation, urging them to make quality and safety the cornerstone of their operations.

“We invite care homes to embrace this opportunity to enhance the scope of their resident care services and to work towards greater efficiency and safety,” Dr Kochhar added.

The Care Home Accreditation Standards represent a significant step forward in NABH’s mission to ensure that even the most vulnerable populations in India receive the highest level of care.

Care homes interested in applying for accreditation can access the standards and application toolkit on the NABH website.

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