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Community Packaged Care Guidelines

The Community Packaged Care Guidelines provide a complete guide to Australian Government funded Packaged Care Programs.

You may download this document in PDF format:

PDF printable version of Community Packaged Care Guidelines (PDF 35 KB)

Dear Service Provider

Community Packaged Care Guidelines

The department is very pleased to advise that the revised Community Packaged Care Guidelines are now available on the department’s website. The guidelines aim to provide a complete guide to the following Australian Government funded Packaged Care Programs:

• Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs);
• Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH); and
• Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACHD).

The guidelines explain the Australian Government’s policy and operational context for the Packaged Care Programs, including the responsibilities for approved providers under the Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care Principles, which govern the operation of the Packaged Care Programs.

The 2011 version of the guidelines includes feedback from the extensive consultations undertaken with approved providers, industry bodies and departmental program areas in 2007-08; as well as complete legal review and copy editing. Updated material includes:

• the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Care;
• changes to eligibility for lower levels of care for people approved for high level community care;
• changes to the lapsing of aged care assessment team approvals; and
• other clarifications and information for community care providers which affect the day to day management of community care packages.

In previous years, the guidelines were produced in a hard copy format and distributed to key stakeholders. The 2007 version was also produced in a CD-Rom format.

The production of the 2011 version will be different. The guidelines will initially be published on the department’s internet in a PDF format and will be available until development of the Community Packaged Care Guidelines Website is completed. The website is expected to be completed and released towards the end of June 2011. Advice will be forwarded to all service providers once it is operational.

We are very excited about the website because it will include the following functions:

• search functionality;
• the ability to perform real time updates;
• the capacity to subscribe to updates;
• a general inquiry and feedback tool; and
• the ability for anyone with a web browser to access to the information.

However, in the meantime and until the website is operational, the PDF version of the revised Community Packaged Care Guidelines can be found at the Community Packaged Care Guidelines web page.

For further information or queries about accessing the PDF, please contact Andrea Fleming on 02 6289 1684 or email Community Packaged Care Guidelines Feedback.

Tracy Mackey
Assistant Secretary
Community Programs and Carers Branch
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