In October 2024, we asked for public feedback on the Aged Care Service List as part of Release 1 of the new Aged Care Act Rules. The Service List outlined the care and services that older people will be able to access and may receive funding for under the new Aged Care Act.
We received 137 written submissions from providers, aged care workers, aged care professionals, older people, family members and advocates.
What we heard
Many people welcomed the inclusion of:
- psychology, counselling and psychotherapy under allied health services – supporting the mental health and wellbeing of older people
- the Hoarding and Squalor Assistance service type – recognising the complexity of supporting people who live with these conditions
- unlimited continence aids in residential aged care – helping older people manage their needs
- general access to medical services for residential aged care – ensuring older people can attend health appointments.
People raised concerns about:
- whether the proposed time caps for gardening (18 hours per year) and house cleaning (52 hours per year) are enough for people living in rural and remote areas, and renters
- the definition of ‘allied health professional’, which excludes self-regulated practitioners who provide care as part of multidisciplinary teams
- the need for clearer guidance on the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) service types.
Suggestions included:
- categorising therapeutic allied health services for independent living under ‘clinical care’
- funding household items and training for assistive technology
- including traditional healing practices to support culturally safe, responsive care
- providing more training in trauma-informed practice and cultural diversity
- offering more flexibility to meet the needs of people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness.
What we’re doing
We completed consultations on the Aged Care Service List in October 2024 and reviewed all feedback to help refine the Rules. Based on this feedback, we confirmed several changes in December 2024:
- removed caps for gardening and house cleaning – giving older people more flexibility and choice
- clarified that allied health professionals don’t always need to prescribe AT-HM service types
- clarified that the list of allied health professionals is not the only group able to prescribe AT-HM.
Since that time, we consulted on the other Rules that will sit under the new Act. Consultation is now closed. Read about our consultation on the new Act..
The final Rules are subject to decision of the Australian Government, and will be considered by the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. The Rules will be publicly available as soon as possible.
This article was originally published on the Ageing and Aged Care Engagement Hub on 17 December 2024.