South Australia will trial the use of surveillance and monitoring equipment in aged care facilities to better protect vulnerable residents.
The federal government will spend $500,000 on the 12-month trial, which will run across five state government facilities starting during the second half of 2019.
"The community has been asking for this and today we deliver an initiative which will result in stronger protections for our elderly residents, reduced adverse incidents and improved standards of care," Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said.
The trial comes in the wake of the Oakden nursing home scandal in Adelaide, where elderly dementia patients were abused and over-medicated.
It also comes as the royal commission continues into the treatment of people in aged care, including those in home care.
Mr Wyatt said it was evident there were widespread concerns about the quality and safety of vulnerable adults across Australia.
"Covert filming by individuals has sadly exposed poor quality of care and malpractice in some aged care settings," he said.
The surveillance trial will be conducted in partnership with Care Protect, a company which specialises in monitoring systems.
It already provides the video and audio surveillance systems in residential care settings in the UK but this is the first time the smart technology will be rolled out in Australia.
The technology detects excessive noise and movement and light changes, triggering an alert to a reviewer who can view the footage within seconds of an event happening.
All footage is stored off-site in a secure and protected web-based setting and is monitored 24/7 by an independent team of highly experienced and qualified clinical experts.
"This CCTV pilot will strengthen the safeguards in place for our frail, older population, provide greater transparency than ever before and hopefully give loved ones greater peace of mind that their loved ones are receiving quality care," SA Premier Steven Marshall said.
South Australian Health Minister Stephen Wade said the trial would only be conducted with residents and families who had provided full informed consent.
"The Care Protect technology can allow for personalised access rights, so different people can view different cameras," Mr Wade said.
"The resident is our priority - their care, their safety and their privacy."
Should a resident not want their room to be filmed, the camera will be disabled.
