Continuity of care requirements
It is a condition of registration under the Aged Care Act 2024 (section 149) that you ensure there are appropriate continuity of care arrangements in place for participants.
When you can cease services
At times, a provider may need to cease providing Support at Home services. You can cease providing services if the participant:
- no longer needs aged care services
- can no longer be cared for in their home with the resources available to you
- has care needs determined through an aged care assessment that can be better met by other types of funded aged care services
- has intentionally caused serious injury to one of your aged care workers
- has intentionally not complied with the rights of an aged care worker to work in a safe environment
- has not paid the required contribution amount for a reason within their control, and has not negotiated an alternative payment arrangement
- notifies you of a change of address to a location where you do not deliver services.
You may also need to cease services because you are transferring your service delivery branches to another registered provider. For example, as part of a merger or acquisition, or within the same organisation.
You must outline when you may cease delivering services in the participant’s service agreement.
Notifying participants
If you need to cease delivering services, you must tell the participant in writing, at least 14 days before services end. The notice must include:
- the reason for your decision to cease Support at Home services
- the date you will cease delivering services
- information about the participant’s rights in relation to ceasing services, including:
- how to make a complaint with you
- other mechanisms for making and addressing complaints
- information about independent aged care advocates.
If you decided to cease service delivery because of the participant’s behaviour, you may agree with the participant to continue delivering services. If this happens, you must give the participant written notice stating you no longer intend to cease services.
How to cease services
You must ensure there are appropriate continuity of care arrangements in place for participants to continue receiving Support at Home services.
When a participant exits your service, you must:
- return unspent Home Care Package funds, if applicable
- tell Services Australia through the Aged Care Provider Portal
- follow the required steps if they are changing to a new provider.
How to transfer service delivery branches
If you need to transfer one or all your Support at Home service delivery branches to another registered provider, you must follow the below steps.
If you need to open, close or update details for your own service delivery branches, you must notify us.
Step 1: Do basic checks
Before you start a transfer, check:
- Claims for the service are up to date – if not, work with Services Australia to resolve any outstanding claims, as they cannot give you refunds for closed or inactive service delivery branches
- Whether there are outstanding refunds – contact Services Australia and let them know that you need these processed so you can transfer your service delivery branch
- Whether you hold any Home Care Package unspent funds on behalf of your transferring participants – if so, you must return these funds to Services Australia within 60 days of ceasing services
- Your participants know about the transfer – notify at least 14 days before the day you cease services (exit date) and explain their rights.
Step 2: Submit your application
- Complete the application to transfer a service delivery branch to another registered provider at least 90 days before the proposed transfer date
- Ensure the application is signed by key personnel from both ceasing and new registered provider
- Submit the application to us, per the instructions in the application form.
Step 3: Processing your application
We will check that the application form is complete. If the form is incomplete, we will contact you to make corrections.
If your proposed transfer date is in less than 90 days, you must provide the reason why in your application. You may attach additional evidence to the application form.
Once your application is validated, we will coordinate with Services Australia to assess if the transfer can happen within the proposed timeframe.
- If transfer can proceed, we will approve the transfer and create transfer record in the Government Provider Management System (GPMS)
- If your application is rejected, we will notify you of the outcome.
Step 4: Services Australia finalises claims
Services Australia will perform final acquittals and confirm that all claims, refunds and debts are settled.
If you have any outstanding claims, refunds or debts, Services Australia will work with you to resolve them before the transfer date.
As a ceasing provider, you will not be able to submit any claims after the transfer date.
Step 5: Notify us of settlement
You must notify us when you have reached a settlement to transfer service delivery branch with the new registered provider on or before the transfer date.
If you don’t notify us of the settlement, the transfer will not happen on the proposed transfer date.
Step 6: Transfer activation and completion
If you notify us that the settlement has been finalised before the transfer date, we will schedule the transfer to happen on the transfer date.
If you notify us on the transfer date, we will activate the transfer in GPMS.
On the transfer day, the service delivery branch will change ownership from ceasing provider to the new provider.
We will notify you once the transfer process has been completed.
Note: Once transfer has been completed, you cannot reverse the process.
Find out more
Read Chapter 12 (ceasing and temporarily stopping services) in the Support at Home program manual.