Flexible Aged Care
Transition Care Program
The Transition Care Program provides goal oriented, time limited and therapy focused care to help older people at the conclusion of a hospital stay.
Transition Care Program Guidelines
- Transition Care Program Guidelines
The Transition Care Program Guidelines 2011 are a resource for the state and territory health departments, as the Approved Providers of Transition Care, as well as service providers, officers of the Department of Health and Ageing and other interested parties.
Transition Care Training Handbook for Aged Care Assessment Teams
Note: A series of Frequently Asked Questions is provided in Appendix 6 of the Training Handbook. The Extension Form in Appendix 4 of the Training Handbook is available below. The ACCR in Appendix 5 is available in hard copy to ACAT members through Medicare Australia State Offices.Transition Care Extension Form
- Transition Care Extension Form
Transition Care Extension Form for Transition Care Service Providers and Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs)
The Claim and Advance Payment Cycle - Information for the Transition Care Program:
Note: Examples of the Transition Care Claim Form and Payment Statement are included at Attachments B and C.- The Claim and Advance Payment Cycle
- Attachment B – Transition Care Claim Form
- Attachment C – Payment Statement Form
National Evaluation of the Transition Care Program
1 March 2011- New arrangements regarding payment of Transition Care copayments for former Prisoners of War and Victoria Cross recipients
To Transition Care Providers - Residential and CommunityFrom 1 March 2011, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs will pay the Transition Care recipient fees for eligible former Prisoners of War and recipients of the Victoria Cross that are liable to pay a daily copayment for care received in a residential or a community based Commonwealth / State funded Transition Care Program. Prior approval from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs is required.
Should you require any additional information, please contact the Department of Veterans’ Affairs on 1300 550 457.
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Overview
The Transition Care Program is designed to improve older people’s independence and confidence after a hospital stay.The Transition Care Program was established in 2004-05 as a jointly funded initiative between the Commonwealth and states and territories. Since 2005 the Commonwealth has provided 2,000 transition care places to all states and territories broadly based on the proportion of non-Indigenous people aged 70 and over and Indigenous people aged 50 and over. In 2007-08 the Government made a budget announcement to provide an additional 2,000 transition care places by 2011-12. The recurrent costs to governments of these places are fully funded by the Commonwealth.
The Transition Care Program aims to help older people leaving hospital to return home rather than prematurely enter residential care.
Transition care is goal-orientated, time-limited and therapy-focussed. It provides older people after a hospital stay with a package of services that includes low intensity therapy (such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and social work) and nursing support and/or personal care. It helps older people complete their restorative process and optimise their functional capacity, while assisting them and their family or carer to make long-term care arrangements.
The Transition Care Program is for older people who would otherwise be eligible for residential aged care. To enter the Program, clients must be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) while they are still an in-patient of the hospital. This can be organised through the hospital where the client has received their acute/sub-acute care. A transition care client can only enter transition care directly upon discharge from hospital.
Transition care can be provided in either a home-like residential setting or in the community. The average duration of care is 7 weeks, with a maximum duration of 12 weeks that may in some circumstances be extended by a further 6 weeks.
States and territories represented by their health departments are the Approved Providers for transition care under the Aged Care Act 1997. This arrangement allows state and territory governments to develop their own service delivery models for transition care that best respond to local circumstances.
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Contacts for aged care providers interested in the provision of transition care
The Department of Health and Ageing has received enquiries from aged care providers about the additional 2,000 transition care places to be provided by 2011-12.The additional 2,000 transition care places are being allocated to State and Territory Health Departments as the Approved Providers for transition care under the Aged Care Act 1997. Many State and Territory Health Departments have entered into partnership arrangements with non-government organisations for the provision of transition care. The additional places will be allocated in four batches of around 200 places for 2008-09, 400 places for 2009-10, 600 places for 2010-11, and 800 places for 2011-12. The first batch of 228 places was allocated to all State and Territory Health Departments in June 2008 and the second batch of 470 places was allocated in March 2009.
To discuss transition care provision in your jurisdiction, please contact your local Transition Care Manager:
New South Wales Department of Health - (02) 9391 9827Victorian Department of Health - (03) 9096 2689
Queensland Health - (07) 3239 0976
South Australian Department of Health - (08) 8226 1043
Western Australian Department of Health - (08) 9222 2162
Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services - (03) 6236 5655
Northern Territory Department of Health and Families - (08) 8922 7392
ACT Health - (02) 6207 8734
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