The Australian Government’s new aged care program, called Support at Home, aims to improve in home aged care to help older Australians live independently at home for longer.
Support at Home brings together two Government aged care funding programs: Home Care Packages (HCP) and Short Term Restorative Care (STRC). This change begins on 1 July 2025; until then, both programs will run as normal.
As part of the changes, there will be eight levels of care ranging from low to high needs, instead of four in a HCP. If your patient’s needs change over time, they can still be re-assessed for a higher level of care through My Aged Care.
Support at Home also includes the following care pathways and support:
- Restorative Care pathway: Short term (6-12 weeks) multidisciplinary care after a patient’s illness, injury or hospital visit to help restore their function and independence.
- End of Life pathway: Intensive in-home aged care services for patients with less than three months to live.
- The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme: access to funding for items such as continence products, shower chairs, walkers and ramps.
The new funding program will also cover a range of services under three categories:
How this affects your patients
For referrers with patients currently on a Home Care Package (HCP), the Australian Government will make sure they do not pay any more under Support at Home than their current package. All patients will still need to wait for an assessment through My Aged Care before accessing services.
In addition, patients receiving Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services won’t be affected until at least July 2027, unless they are reassessed for a higher level of care.
Silverchain is here to help practitioners with enquiries about the new aged care program. We will support clients throughout the change to receive the best care, home delivered.
For further information about the program, visit the Australian Government website.
