The Australian Government is committed to delivering in-home aged care reforms that will serve the needs of all older people, their families and carers – now and into the future.
How is in-home aged care changing?
The reforms will address key issues raised by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to ensure that in-home aged care:
• is simple to access and understand, with one assessment process
• gives people timely access to the safe and high-quality services they need
• gives people real choice and control in determining the services they receive
• has fair and transparent fees that direct funds to delivering 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 will the reforms 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.
This staged approach will help ensure that there are no disruptions to current services while care providers get ready for the new program.
We are establishing a single assessment system from 1 July 2024 that will simplify and improve access to aged care services for older people.
The new system will expand the role of our existing assessment organisations, which include Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs), Regional Assessment Service (RAS) organisations and Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) assessment providers.
What are the next steps?
The Government has commissioned a range of work to progress the development of the new Support at Home program including:
• a pricing study to be conducted 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 into the provision of higher levels of in-home aged care to support people to remain independent in their own homes for longer.
The Department of Health and Aged Care will also be consulting with the aged care sector on program details over coming months.
For more information, visit health.gov.au/in-home-aged-care-reform.
How can I get involved?
For enquiries about the in-home aged care reforms or upcoming consultations, email sah.implementation@health.gov.au.
For the latest information about aged care reforms and engagement opportunities:
• visit the Aged Care Engagement Hub at agedcareengagement.health.gov.au
• subscribe to the aged care sector newsletters and alerts at health.gov.au/aged-care-newsletter-subscribe.
