Providers deliver most services under the Support at Home program or through residential aged care, but the Act also allows services to be delivered through certain specialist aged care programs. The programs are funded either by grants or by special subsidies from the government. These specialist aged care programs include:
- Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP): A grant-funded program to support older people to live at home and in the community. CHSP services will transition to be delivered through the Support at Home program in the future.
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program: A grant-funded program to provide flexible and culturally appropriate aged care to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Multi-Purpose Service Program: This program supports rural and remote communities to offer flexible aged care services. It combines government-funded subsidies with state and territory health services.
- Transition Care Program: A subsidy-funded program to help older people recover after a hospital stay, through the hospital transition classification type.
Subsidies for specialist aged care programs
[Chapter 4 – Part 2 – Division 5]
The Rules explain how to work out the subsidy amount for the Multi-Purpose Service Program and Transition Care Program. The funding model and process is different to the funding for mainstream providers. This includes that there must be an agreement in place between the specialist aged care provider and the System Governor to deliver services under these programs. These differences make sure the funding can help meet specific needs and support more stable funding in these settings.
In general, the subsidy amount might:
- include any mix of person-centred subsidy or supplements or provider-based subsidy or supplements
- not be based on the classification level or type for an older person
- be based on other factors besides the actual delivery of a funded aged care service to an older person on that day, such as the location of the care home where services are delivered.