Home care: one program to rule them all?

THE NEW SUPPORT AT HOME PROGRAM EXPLAINED

Just when you think you understand the regulations and have learnt the acronyms and can quote the levels from one to four, everything changes, and you might feel like you need to start over.

The new Support at Home Program will commence in July 2023—in line with the Royal Commission in Aged Care Quality and Safety, recommendation 35, to implement a new aged care program, and recommendation 118 to introduce a new funding model for care at home.

A lot of the finer details are still being worked out and there is much consultation taking place within the sector, but we know the Support at Home Program will replace the following:

• Commonwealth Home Support

Program (CHSP), which provides for small amounts of ongoing or short-term care related to personal care and support services. • Home Care Packages (HCP) Program, which provides for coordinated amounts of personal care, support services, nursing, allied health or clinical services (determined by an individual’s needs). • Short Term Restorative Care (STRC) Program, which provides a time limited, goal-orientated, multi-disciplinary and coordinated package of services. Aims to reverse and/ or slow ‘functional decline’ and improve wellbeing. The hope is that, if and when we get it right, improved home supports will prevent premature admissions to residential aged care facilities—meaning older Australians can remain at home, independent and in charge of their lives, make decisions and be treated with dignity and respect.

What will the Support at Home Program look like?

While there is still consultation and details to be developed and refined, the new program will be relatively similar to the CHSP and HCP process that you might already be familiar with, however some of the terminology will be different. The following is what we do know.

1. Clients will still require an assessment and this will be done using an integrated assessment tool that will match services to a persons aged care support need. 2. Assessed care needs will determine the complexity of care and services required. 3. Clients will still receive an Individualised Support Plan that would outline the care and services, frequency and duration. 4. Funding would be set and determined by the care and services the client has been assessed against and be referred to as a service type. 5. Clients can still use the assistance of a provider or selfmanage their Support at Home Program. 6. Clients can select their provider by using a Service List.

Services in this list will be grouped into service categories.

The service categories will be similar to what might be used now. (For example, independence at home, social connections, personal care, health and specialised support,

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care management, technologies and home modifications, and respite care.)

Support at Home Program funding

The Support at Home Program will ensure consistent funding arrangements and a shift from block funding for CHSP and the subsidies based on HCP package levels. This will mean one funding model for all home aged care providers. What this looks like is still being determined.

New systems and platforms are being developed. One new system is ICT Payments which allows individuals and providers to view an individual’s entitlements and book and pay for services at the point of delivery. This system is to support senior Australians who want to self-manage their own care, including the use of multiple services providers if they choose to do so.

Stay in the know

As a home care provider, it is important to get updates on consultations in relation to the Support at Home Program and the latest information on aged care reforms. You can stay up-to-date by: • subscribing to Your Aged Care Update (previously called the Information for the Aged Care Sector newsletter) at ww.health.gov.au/aged-care-newsletter-subscribe • signing up to the Engagement Hub at agedcareengagement.health.gov.au • downloading resources at health.gov.au/aged-care-reforms.

Tania Saggers-Clarke is Home Care Specialist WA/NT/SA, Leading Age Services Australia. For more information email at careathome@health.gov.au Tania has been with LASA for three years and has just taken up a management role with Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation, which will see her closer to her family and continue to pursue work that supports better quality of life for others.

2022 AMH Aged Care Companion OUT NOW!

The AMH Aged Care Companion is a trusted, practical reference for nurses and health professionals who work with older people. It contains the latest evidence-based information on the management of more than 70 conditions common in older people. The new release includes a number of changes. Those that may be of interest: updated topics including benign prostatic hyperplasia, heart failure, immunisation, influenza, osteoarthritis, pain assessment and skin infections. The 2022 release is available in Book and Online. For further information or to purchase go to www.amh.net.au

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