National Screening and Assessment Form
This fact sheet provides information about the National Screening and Assessment Form
(NSAF) that will be used by My Aged Care contact centre staff, the My Aged Care Regional
Assessment Service (RAS) and Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) when screening and
assessing the aged care needs of clients.
Development of the National Screening and Assessment Form
The NSAF has been designed to support the collection of information for the screening and
assessment processes conducted under My Aged Care. It has been developed by the
Department of Social Services based on existing best practice assessment processes from
around Australia, and through significant consultation with stakeholders, particularly the
Assessor User Group (made up of representatives from Access Points, Home and Community
Care assessors and service providers and ACATs).
The NSAF ensures that questions are appropriate to each level of assessment (screening,
home support assessment or comprehensive assessment); that there is no duplication which
would result in the client having to repeat their story; and that the appropriate client pathway can
be facilitated through the completion of an action plan or support plan. The NSAF also includes
a set of decision support rules that assists the screening and assessment workforce to make
recommendations for the type of support a client requires.
Nationally consistent screening and assessment process
The national screening and assessment process, facilitated through using the NSAF, has three
components:
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Screening conducted over-the-phone by My Aged Care contact centre staff
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Home support assessment conducted face-to-face by the RAS

Comprehensive assessment conducted face-to-face by ACATs.
Screening
My Aged Care contact centre staff will screen clients by asking a series of questions over the
phone. Screening occurs after a person registers My Aged Care, and has a client record
created. Using a conversational approach, screening addresses a client’s needs, circumstances
and functional ability. Contact centre staff will develop an action plan with the client which
identifies the pathway a client will take – to home support assessment, comprehensive
assessment and/or direct to Commonwealth Home Support Programme services. Contact
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centre staff will also provide relevant information to clients, including in the instance where no
further assessment or service provision is required.
The following areas may be addressed as part of screening:
Overview of questions
Reason for Contact
Key circumstances triggering contact
Current Support
Services and support currently being received
Carer Overview
Type of care provided/being provided, difficulties or concerns with the caring
relationship, sustainability of the caring relationship, client as a carer
Health
Health conditions, recent hospital discharge, weight loss, oral health concerns,
vision/hearing/speech, falls, pain
Function
Transport, shopping, meals preparation, housework, medicine management,
money management, walking, showering, dressing, eating, transfers, toilet use –
assistance received, assistance required
Cognitive
Memory problems or confusion, behavioural problems
Psychosocial
Home and Personal Safety
Being nervous, depressed or lonely
Risks, hazards and concerns in the home, concerns with living arrangements
Home Support Assessment
Home support assessments, undertaken by the RAS, build on the information collected at
screening (if applicable), and are undertaken face-to-face generally in the client’s usual
accommodation setting to determine a client’s eligibility to receive Commonwealth Home
Support Programme services.
During the assessment, the assessor will explore the client’s current level of support (including
formal and informal forms of support), family and community engagement, health and lifestyle
considerations, functional ability, cognitive or psychosocial considerations, and any issues
relating to home and personal safety.
The assessor and the client will work together to establish a support plan that reflects the
client’s strengths and abilities, areas of difficulty, and the support that will best meet their needs
and goals. This will include the consideration of formal and informal services as well as
reablement and/or restorative pathways.
The following areas may be addressed as part of a home support assessment:
Key:
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Questions in black text are questions that may be asked as part of the screening process and are to be
verified or completed as part of the home support assessment process.
Questions in green text are additional questions to be asked as part of a home support assessment.
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Profile
Reason for Contact
Overview of questions
Key circumstances triggering contact
Current Support
Services and support currently being received
Carer Overview
Type of care provided/being provided, difficulties or concerns with the caring
relationship, sustainability of the caring relationship, client as a carer
Family, Community
Engagement and Support
Health
Personal and family support networks, involvement in activities and client
interests, engagement with family and social/community groups, recent changes
to family/cultural/social situation
Health conditions, recent hospital discharge, weight loss, oral health concerns,
vision/hearing/speech, falls, pain
General observations, health and wellbeing challenges, allergies/sensitivities,
skin conditions, continence issues, sleep difficulties, appetite concerns, fluid
intake, alcohol consumption, physical activity, health literacy
Function
Transport, shopping, meals preparation, housework, medicine management,
money management, walking, showering, dressing, eating, transfers, toilet use –
assistance received, assistance required
Cognitive
Memory problems or confusion, behavioural problems
Changes in memory and thinking, changes in personality, psychological
symptoms associated with memory loss
Psychosocial
Home and Personal Safety
Complexity Indicators
Support Plan
Being nervous, depressed or lonely
Stressful events, change in mental state, social isolation
Risks, hazards and concerns in the home, concerns with living arrangements
Self-neglecting of care, equipment/modification required to maintain
independence, personal and smoke alarms, personal emergency plan, driving
ability, concerns with financial situation, safety concerns, legal issues
Complexity indicators, risk of vulnerability, impact on ability to live independently
Client strengths and abilities, areas of difficulty, satisfaction with level of
independence, hopes for change, areas of concern, goals, motivation, agreed
action to be taken, referral information
Comprehensive Assessment
Comprehensive assessments, undertaken by ACATs, build on the information collected at
screening and home support assessment (if applicable), are undertaken face-to-face generally
in the client’s usual accommodation setting, to determine a client’s eligibility for care types
under the Aged Care Act 1997.
During the assessment, the assessor will assess the client’s physical, medical, psychological,
social and restorative needs. The assessor and client will work together to establish a support
plan that reflects the client’s strengths and abilities, areas of difficulty, and the support that will
best meet their needs and goals. This will include the consideration of formal and informal
services as well as reablement and/or restorative pathways.
Where a care type under the Aged Care Act 1997 is identified as the most appropriate type of
support to meet the client’s needs, and the client meets eligibility criteria, the assessor will make
a recommendation for approval by a Delegate of the Secretary (i.e. ACAT Delegate). A client
may be approved for a home care package, residential care, residential respite care or
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transition care. Clients may also be referred to Commonwealth Home Support Programme
services where appropriate.
The following areas may be addressed as part of comprehensive assessment:
Key:


Questions in black text are questions that may be asked as part of the screening process and are to be
verified or completed as part of the comprehensive assessment process.
Questions in orange text are additional questions to be asked as part of a comprehensive assessment.
Domain
Profile
Reason for Contact
Services and support currently being received
Current formal/informal support
Carer Overview
Type of care provided/being provided, difficulties or concerns with the
caring relationship, sustainability of the caring relationship, client as a
carer
Family, Community
Engagement and
Support
Personal and family support networks, involvement in activities and
client interests, engagement with family and social/community groups,
recent changes to family/cultural/social situation
Health
Medical
Domain
Psychological
Domain
Key circumstances triggering contact
Current Support
Social Domain
Physical
Domain
Overview of questions
Health conditions, recent hospital discharge, weight loss, oral health
concerns, vision/hearing/speech, falls, pain
General observations, health and wellbeing challenges, clinical
services, medical history, medication details allergies/sensitivities,
mobility difficulties, skin conditions, continence issues, sleep
difficulties, appetite concerns, fluid intake, alcohol consumption,
physical activity, health literacy
Function
Transport, shopping, meals preparation, housework, medicine
management, money management, walking, showering, dressing,
eating, transfers, toilet use – assistance received, assistance required
Cognitive
Memory problems or confusion, behavioural problems
Changes in memory and thinking, changes in personality,
psychological symptoms associated with memory loss
Psychosocial
Being nervous, depressed or lonely
Stressful events, change in mental state, social isolation
Psychological
Memory problems, behavioural problems, mental health problems,
disorientation
Home and Personal
Safety
Complexity
Indicators
Support Plan
Risks, hazards and concerns in the home, concerns with living
arrangements
Self-neglecting of care, equipment/modification required to maintain
independence, personal and smoke alarms, personal emergency plan,
driving ability, concerns with financial situation, safety concerns, legal
issues
Complexity indicators, risk of vulnerability, impact on ability to live
independently
Client strengths and abilities, areas of difficulty, satisfaction with level
of independence, hopes for change, areas of concern, goals,
motivation, agreed action to be taken, referral information
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Supplementary Assessment Tools
Supplementary Assessment Tools are included as part of the NSAF and may be used by an
assessor to inform a holistic assessment of a client’s needs. The use of these clinicallyvalidated assessment tools is not mandatory, but should be used if a need is identified that
requires a greater level of assessment. An assessor may also choose to use other clinicallyvalidated tools at their discretion, but should record within the NSAF the name of the
assessment tool used, the result of the assessment and also attach a copy of the assessment
to the client’s record.
The following supplementary assessment tools are available:
Assessment type
Home Support Assessment
Supplementary Assessment Tools
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Comprehensive Assessment
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Mini Nutritional Assessment
Older Americans Resources and Services Activities of Daily Living
(OARS-ADL)
Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living
Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment- Activities of Daily Living
(KICA-ADL)
Kessler-10
Brief Pain Inventory (Short Form)
Residents Verbal Brief Pain Inventory
Abbey Pain Scale
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
South Australian Oral Health Referral Pad
Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) for Non-Dental Professionals
Revised Urinary Incontinence Scale
Revised Faecal Incontinence Scale
Mini Nutritional Assessment
Older Americans Resources and Services Activities of Daily Living
(OARS ADL)
Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living
Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment- Activities of Daily Living
(KICA- ADL)
Standardised Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE)
Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS)
The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly
(IQCODE)
Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA-COG)
Geriatric Depression Scale
Decision support within the National Screening and Assessment Form
The NSAF includes a set of decision support rules that assists the screening and assessment
workforce to make recommendations for the type of support a client requires. There are five
types of decision support rules:



Pathway and eligibility (e.g. this client should be referred for comprehensive assessment)
Priority (e.g. access to assessment or service is a high priority)
Recommended actions (e.g. the client should visit a GP)
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
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Complexity indicators (e.g. the client is living in inadequate housing or with insecure
housing or is already homeless)
Needs identification (e.g. behavioural concerns).
It is important to note that the NSAF is not a decision-making tool nor is it designed to
recommend particular service types a client should access. This will be the role of the trained
contact centre staff and assessors who, when developing the action plan or support plan with a
client, considers their needs holistically, and recommends support most appropriate to their
needs and circumstances.
Online and offline capability
Assessors will have several options for recording assessment information, including:

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Online/real time – information is recorded during the assessment process via a mobile
device (such as a laptop or tablet) connected to the internet
Offline – information is recorded on a mobile device that is not connected to the internet.
Data is transferred when the device is connected to the internet at a later time
Manual – information is written on a paper form during the assessment and
subsequently, when online, can be keyed into the NSAF via the Assessor Portal at the
first available opportunity for the assessor.
For more information
Further information about the changes to My Aged Care in 2015, and support material to help
assessors use the My Aged Care assessor portal, is available at www.dss.gov.au/MyAgedCare.
The Department would like to encourage assessors to review support materials and talk to
colleagues to resolve any concerns or questions about using the My Aged Care assessor portal
in the first instance. If this does not assist in resolving a question or concern, please contact the
My Aged Care provider and assessor help line on 1800 836 799. The help line is available
between 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm Saturday, local time across Australia.
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