This video is part of a series introducing key features of the regulatory model under the new Age Care Act.
This is to help you prepare for the changes coming to aged care from 1 July 2025.
Hi, I'm Rob Day from the Department of Health and Aged Care.
In the next few minutes, I'd like to talk to you about associated providers under the regulatory model from the 1st of July this year, third party providers and subcontractors will be known as associated providers.
These providers will deliver services on behalf of a registered provider, for example as a subcontractor.
To put it simply, the organisation, which directly receives funding from the Commonwealth must be a registered provider.
If that registered provider engages other organisations to deliver some services, then these organisations are associated providers.
Registered providers are responsible for the quality of care delivered on their behalf and ensuring their associated providers comply with relevant obligations.
Workers of an associated provider will be considered to be workers of the registered provider for the purposes of the Aged Care Act.
This means they will need to be screened to make sure they are suitable to work in an aged care setting.
The transition to the new Aged Care Act, including the deeming of approved providers, will not affect any service provision arrangements that exist between subcontractors and approved providers.
It will be possible to be an associated provider and a registered provider at the same time. An associated provider may decide to apply to become a registered provider in their own right.
To do this, they will need to follow the application process managed with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
For example, if you are a registered provider under Support at Home where you are responsible for directly delivering care, you could also be engaged by a registered residential care home as an associated provider to provide specific services such as nursing or allied health, thus making you an associated provider and a registered provider at the same time.
Under the new Act, registered providers cannot contract out their regulatory responsibilities.
Once the new Act commences, registered aged care providers will have an opportunity to update details of current associated providers that are delivering aged care services on their behalf.
We are aware that there has been some confusion over how allied health practitioners can continue to provide services under the new model, and if they need to become registered providers. On 1 July allied health practitioners and workers will continue to be able to deliver aged care services as employees or contractors (associated providers) of a registered provider.
One of the changes under the new Aged Care Act is that sole traders can apply to become registered providers.
This means that an allied health worker could apply, if they want to, to become a registered provider.
We anticipate that the greatest opportunity for individual allied health professionals to become registered providers will be if the government decides to move to a multi provider model for Support at Home.
This will happen no earlier than 2027.
Thank you for all you are doing in preparation for the new regulatory model.
Please keep a lookout for the next video in this series.
For more information, please see the details on the screen.