What is the MPS Program?
The MPS Program provides integrated health and aged care services for older Australians living in small communities in regional and remote areas.
Who the program is for
Older Australians living in small regional and remote communities are able to access aged care services from an MPS.
Before you enter a MPS, you will need to have an assessment. This can be done by the MPS staff, an Aged Care Assessment Team or another assessor so that:
- your needs are properly evaluated
- the MPS can better plan your care.
If you’re an older Australian and want to see if there’s a MPS near you, use Find a provider on the My Aged Care website.
Why the program is important
The MPS Program provides health and aged care services in areas that cannot support both a hospital and a separate aged care home. This allows people to stay in their own communities as they get older, close to their families and community ties.
The goals of the program
The MPS Program aims to give regional and remote communities:
- improved access to a mix of health and aged care services that meet community needs
- more innovative, flexible and integrated service delivery
- flexible use of funding and/or resource infrastructure within integrated service planning
- improved quality of care for clients
- improved cost-effectiveness and long-term viability of services.
How we will meet these goals
Most of the service providers in the program are state, territory or local government organisations.
They consult with the community to work out what health and aged care needs are not being met. They provide services that:
- take place in the home (home care) or in an aged care home (residential care and respite care)
- meet the needs of the community
- are agreed to by the state or territory government and the Australian Government
- are co-located with a hospital or health service (in most cases).
The program is available in all states, the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island.
Allocating places to MPS
Places are allocated to MPS through a routine (usually annual) allocation round. Applications for the 2021-22 round opened on 14 February 2022 and closed on 28 March 2022. Up to 100 flexible aged care places for residential aged care were available in this round.
View the results of the 2021–22 allocation round.
MPS Program Minor Capital Grant Opportunity - Results
In 2021, MPS providers had the opportunity apply for a grant to undertake minor capital projects related to providing residential aged care.
Over $35.3m was allocated to 110 MPS sites nationwide.
View the results of the 2021 round.
Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
The final report by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety acknowledges the role of Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) in delivering flexible, integrated health and aged care for smaller and dispersed populations. Recommendation 55 calls for the MPS Program be expanded and improved.
We are working on aged care reforms more broadly, including Recommendation 55, with state and territory governments through the Intergovernmental Senior Officials Group, which reports to the Health Chief Executives Forum.
MPS Program review
The University of Technology Sydney completed a review of the MPS Program in October 2019. Read more about the review, including:
- how it was done
- the full report
- the official response to their recommendations.
Who we work with
The MPS Program is a joint initiative of the Australian Government and state and territory governments.
We fund the delivery of aged care services and state and territory governments fund the program’s health services.
The Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP) funds infrastructure projects that will improve access to quality aged care services, including for older Australians living in regional, rural and remote areas. It is expected MPS providers will be eligible for funding under a cost-shared arrangement. Find out more about the ACCAP.
Contact
To find out more about the program contact:
