Changes to Aged In-Home Care
Latest updates to ‘Support at Home’ timeline
September 12, 2024
The Australian government introduces the Aged Care Bill 2024 to Parliament, setting the foundation for a new Aged Care Act to commence on 1 July 2025.
They also share details of the new Support at Home program, set to launch in 2025.
In summary, older Australians can expect the following from the new program:
- Shorter wait times to access home care
- More support levels for home care
- Earlier access to restorative care services, which has been extended from 8 weeks to 12 weeks
- Funding for home modifications
- Support for end-of-life care at home
The Government will cover 100% of clinical care services. Older Australians will be required to contribute towards support services like showering, gardening, and meal preparation.
NOVEMBER 25, 2024
The Australian government announced that the Aged Care Bill 2024 has officially passed through Parliament. This means that a new Aged Care Act will start from 1 July, 2025.
To read more about the upcoming changes, click here.
For more information about the new Aged Care Act, click here for the government’s fact sheet.
decEMBER 12, 2024
The Australian Government have announced that they are staging the introduction of price caps on services in the new Support at Home program.
Government-set price caps on in-home services were set to commence from 1 July 2025; however, this has now been delayed until 1 July 2026.
For now, in-home aged care providers (such as us at ACCA) will continue to set their own prices for Support at Home services, as currently occurs in the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program.
For more information, the government have released a fact sheet which can be found here.
At ACCA, we are working through this update and will be in touch with clients about any pricing changes.
JULY 1, 2025
From 1 July 2025, the Support at Home program is expected to replace the existing Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Program.
There will be a transition plan to the new program, which ACCA will keep you updated on.
JULY 1, 2027
The Commonwelath Home Support Program (CHSP) will transition to the new program no earlier than 1 July 2027