How in-home aged care is changing
The reforms will address key issues raised by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to ensure in-home aged care:
- is simple to access and understand, with one assessment process
- gives people timely access to safe and high-quality services
- gives people real choice and control in determining their services
- has fair and transparent fees, that fund delivery of high quality care.
Under the new Support at Home program, there will be improved access to services, equipment and home modifications to help older people to remain healthy, active and socially connected to their community.
When the reforms will start
From 1 July 2025, the Support at Home program will replace the existing Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme.
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will transition to the new program no earlier than 1 July 2027.
We will continue to work with HCP and STRC providers to ensure they are prepared to transition to Support at Home well ahead of 1 July 2025.
The staged approach will give all CHSP providers time to change their business systems and adjust to new payment arrangements. This will ensure they can operate successfully under Support at Home and avoid disruptions for their clients.
We are also creating a single assessment system from 1 July 2024. This will simplify and improve access to aged care services for older people.
Current in-home aged care programs will continue operating as normal until they transition into the new program.
Where we’re up to
The Australian Government has commissioned a range of work to develop the new Support at Home program including:
- the Aged Care Taskforce, who will give independent advice on a range of design details, like the service list
- conducting a pricing study by the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) to determine fair and efficient prices for in-home aged care
- a study to develop an inclusions list for assistive technology and home modifications and advise on the assistive technology needs of people with progressive conditions
- a trial of an assistive technology loans program in partnership with states and territories
- a study to provide higher levels of in-home aged care to support people to remain independent in their own homes for longer.
We will consult with the aged care sector and engage with older people to refine the program, addressing issues that matter most.
Learn more about past, current and future research, consultation and engagements.
How to get involved
We will provide an update on Support at Home in a webinar on Thursday 14 December from 2pm to 3.30pm (AEDT).
We will also be hosting two online Q&A sessions the following week:
- a Q&A session for aged care providers on Monday 18 December 2023 from 11.30am to 1.00pm (AEDT)
- a Q&A session for older people, their families and carers on Tuesday 19 December 2023 from 1.00pm to 2.30pm (AEDT).
To receive the latest information and learn about engagement opportunities:
- visit the Aged Care Engagement Hub
- subscribe to the aged care sector newsletter and alerts.
