Home Care
Package
What is Home Care Package?
The program supports older people with complex care needs to live independently in their own homes.
It uses a consumer-directed care approach to make sure the support suits a person’s needs and goals.
The support is provided through a Home Care Package – a coordinated mix of services that can include:
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help with household tasks
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equipment (such as walking frames)
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minor home modifications
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personal care
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clinical care such as nursing, allied health, and physiotherapy services.
There are 4 levels of Home Care Packages – from level 1 for basic care needs to level 4 for high care needs.
PACKAGE TYPE | LEVEL OF CARE NEEDS | APPROXIMATE SUBSIDY (per year*) |
|---|---|---|
Level 4 | High | $59,593.55 |
Level 3 | Intermediate | $39,310.50 |
Level 2 | Low | $18,063.85 |
Level 1 | Basic | $10,271.10 |
Who is eligible?
The program supports older people with more complex needs to stay at home. They must:
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register with My Aged Care
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be referred for an assessment to find out whether they’re eligible.
If eligible, we will tell the person the level of Home Care Package they have been approved for.
How the program works
Assigning packages
We assign Home Care Packages to people – not providers. This means a person can choose a provider in their area that best meets their needs. It also means the person can take their package with them if they want to change providers.
National priority system
We prioritise people we have approved for a package in our national priority system, based on:
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their assessed priority for home care (either medium or high)
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the date of their approval.
There is a lot of demand for Home Care Packages. A person may need to wait for a while before we have a package available to assign to them.
Home Care Package funding
The total amount of funding in a Home Care Package budget is made up of:
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the Government subsidy, including supplements for specific care needs if a person is eligible
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basic daily fees, payable by everyone who receives a package
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income-tested care fees, payable by people who have income over a certain amount
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amounts for additional care and services, payable if a person wants extra services that the package funding would not otherwise cover
The Government and the care recipient pay these amounts directly to the provider.
Services and prices
Providers set prices for each of their Home Care Package services. They can provide services in-house or subcontract other organisations to provide services.
Providers must:
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work with the person receiving care to plan their care and services
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use a consumer-directed care approach when providing services.
Providers use a person’s Home Care Package funding to pay for the cost of the services. They must make sure the person:
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has enough funding to cover the cost of the planned services set out in their care plan
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gets the full benefit of their Home Care Package.
