About the 24/7 RN supplement
The 24/7 RN supplement helps approved providers employ extra RNs to be on-site and on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at residential aged care facilities.
Facilities with, on average, more than 60 residents per day in a calendar month receive sufficient funding through the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) Basic Subsidy to deliver 24/7 RN care to their residents and will not receive this supplement.
For facilities with, on average, 60 residents or less per day, the supplement provides additional support to meet the responsibility.
Who the 24/7 RN supplement applies to
The 24/7 RN supplement is a non-means tested supplement and applies to residential facilities with, on average, 60 residents or fewer per day (based on occupied bed days). The supplement does not apply to flexible care services, including Multi-Purpose Services (MPS).
Where multiple residential care services are at one facility, the 24/7 RN supplement will be calculated based on all services occupied bed days and then paid through one of the residential care services. Where multiple facilities are associated with one residential care service, the supplement will be calculated based on circumstances at each facility and then paid through the residential care service.
24/7 RN supplement rate
The 24/7 RN supplement rate is based on the occupied bed days during a calendar month in the facility. Facilities with, on average, fewer occupied bed days receive more funding. The rate is also based on the location of the facility under the Modified Monash Model (MMM):
There are 2 supplement rates:
- services located in metropolitan locations (MMM 1–4)
- services located in rural, remote and very remote locations (MMM 5–7) to account for the additional costs that come with working in these areas.
|
Monthly supplement funding |
||
|
Average number of residents |
MMM 1–4 ($) |
MMM 5–7 ($) |
|
1–5 |
$27,667 |
$77,083 |
|
6–10 |
$27,667 |
$69,000 |
|
11–15 |
$27,667 |
$63,500 |
|
16–20 |
$27,667 |
$53,250 |
|
21–25 |
$27,667 |
$42,250 |
|
26–30 |
$27,667 |
$32,083 |
|
31–35 |
$19,167 |
$23,833 |
|
36–40 |
$14,750 |
$17,750 |
|
41–45 |
$13,167 |
$15,750 |
|
46–50 |
$11,750 |
$13,583 |
|
51–55 |
$9,833 |
$11,250 |
|
56–60 |
$7,917 |
$8,917 |
|
61+ residents |
0 |
0 |
From 1 July 2023, the rates will be published in the Schedule of Subsides and Supplements for Aged Care.
How to receive the supplement
You do not need to apply for the 24/7 RN supplement.
To receive the supplement from 1 July 2023, eligible facilities must:
- have no more than 60 residents per day (based on occupied bed days) on average over a calendar month
- provide a minimum of 20 hours of RN coverage a day, on average over a calendar month
- correctly report its RN coverage at the facility by the 7th calendar day of the following month.
Payment
The supplement is paid monthly in line with other residential aged care subsidies and supplements.
Services Australia automatically pays this supplement to eligible facilities that meet all criteria for the supplement.
Temporary lower threshold for the supplement
The minimum average of 20 hours of RN care a day over a calendar month is a temporary lower threshold for the supplement to help facilities transition to the new responsibility. The threshold allows for unplanned absences and give providers time to recruit RNs to provide full 24/7 RN coverage.
The temporary threshold will be reviewed later in 2023 and on an ongoing basis.
Payment of the supplement to help eligible facilities meet the cost of providing 24/7 RN care is not the same as compliance with the 24/7 RN responsibility. Providers must work towards providing full 24/7 RN coverage as intended by the new responsibility.
Exemption arrangements
Services whose facilities receive an exemption from the 24/7 RN responsibility will not receive the 24/7 RN supplement.
For information on exemption arrangements, including eligibility and how to apply, see Exemption from the 24/7 registered nurse responsibility for aged care.
For more information, see Care minutes and 24/7 registered nurses in residential aged care and the Care minutes and 24/7 registered nurse responsibility guide.
Rate changes
From 2024-25, additional AN-ACC funding will be provided to support services to deliver an additional 15 minutes of care per resident per day. When this happens, the RN supplement will reduce, and only be available to facilities with 50 residents or less.
In the 2023-24 Budget, the previously published supplement rate increased to account for an award wage rise for registered nurses. For more information, see Funding higher wages in residential aged care.