In June 2023, the Government formed an Aged Care Taskforce with the purpose of evaluating the aged care system and expanding upon the recommendations put forth by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Here we set out to look at the potential impact for providers of home care.
Insights from the Taskforce
The Taskforce has pinpointed several issues impacting the aged care sector:
- Demographic shifts indicate an ongoing surge in demand for aged care services and it is predicted that there will be a ‘silver tsunami’ in the not too distant future
- The expectations of both current and forthcoming generations regarding quality aged care are notably high
- Adequate funding is imperative to meet future demands and implement quality care and support. As the home care sector expands, it’s crucial to establish a strong foundation that can support the scaling of services and enhance the quality of life for older people
- Generally, older individuals possess greater wealth compared to previous generations, while the taxpayer base is shrinking in proportion to the population
The recommendations outlined in the Final Report of the Aged Care Task Force endeavour to empower the sector to tackle these challenges effectively. Seven key principles have been identified and highlight three main areas to create a fair, equitable and sustainable system:
- Supporting older people to ‘age in place’
- Equitable and sustainable funding models
- Quality, innovation and transparency
- In terms of implications for providers of home care, there is an impetus to support the aging population ‘in place’ as this was found to be a strong preference with this clientele.
Ageing in place
There are seven principles in the report. Principle One focuses on keeping people at home:
The aged care system should support older people to live at home for as long as they wish and can do so safely
The report highlights a strong inclination amongst many elderly individuals and their families to age in place, preferring to stay in their homes for as long as possible. This sentiment was evident in the stakeholder survey responses, with 90% of participants endorsing this principle. The consultation revealed that the primary reasons for favouring ageing in place include; comfort and privacy, a desire for independence, improved mental and physical well-being, and maintaining connections with the community, friends and family.
Home care programs overhaul to meet future demand
It is emphasised within the report under Principle 1 that existing home care programs struggle to support a growing number of older individuals due to inconsistent assessments, limited access, pricing variations, funding challenges, and ambiguity about accessible services. This results in unspent funds or lengthy waits for some individuals. Pricing differences between programs create inefficiencies and confusion. As the population ages, addressing these issues is crucial for expanding services to meet increasing demand.
New opportunities with the Support at Home Program
It is crucial to enhance the alignment of home care with the evolving needs of older individuals, ensuring both scalability and consistent fund allocation. Moreover, there is a need for transparency, cost-effectiveness, and improved service quality within the home care framework. The forthcoming staged introduction of the Support at Home Program commencing in July 2025 presents an opportunity to address these pivotal concerns inherent in existing home care initiatives.
As the Support at Home Program unfolds, it is imperative to guarantee that the newly established arrangements effectively embody the program’s core principles. This will fulfil the expectations of older individuals, their families, and caregivers by providing:
- Increased autonomy and decision-making control
- Streamlined and prompt access to services
- Flexibility to adapt services as per changing needs over time
- Enhanced cost efficiency by imposing restrictions on unreasonable administrative fees
- Clearer insight into fees and transparent utilisation of funding
It is crucial that the new arrangements cater for all stakeholders, acknowledging the necessity for the following:
- More predictable and sustainable funding to cover the expenses of delivering quality services
- Recognition of the costs linked to meeting regulatory requirements
- Flexibility to adapt services on-site as participant needs evolve
- Enhanced utilisation of a qualified and skilled workforce to expand service availability
- Suitable and sufficient implementation timeframes
The Support at Home Program’s inclusions and exclusions need clearer definition compared to current programs. The Taskforce was challenged with providing recommendations regarding program inclusions and participant contributions for the Support at Home Program. It considered diverse participant needs, program purpose and service system roles with discussions emphasising prevention, adaptability and reablement.
The Taskforce emphasised that the Support at Home Program requires clearer specifications compared to existing programs with regards to its funding parameters.
Taskforce recommendations
The report contains 23 recommendations – you can read them all here. Recommendation One is as follows:
Underpin the Support at Home Program with inclusion and exclusion principles and clearly defined service lists.
Exclusion principles define services outside the Support at Home Program, not funded by government although the Taskforce supports flexibility in exceptional cases to prevent adverse outcomes for participants and government. For instance if a participant requires a service and is at risk of being compelled to move into residential care or hospital due to the unavailability of affordable services or equipment at home. They endorse using these principles to establish lists of included and excluded items, thereby ensuring program integrity and promoting consistency. This will clearly delineate which services are covered by the program and which are not. These lists should be periodically reviewed to ensure they remain responsive to innovation and meet the needs of older people, including those who live in rented accommodation.
The inclusion and exclusion principles are set out below:
Inclusion principles
- Services that have been assessed as essential or necessary for health, independence or safety in the home
- Services that are reasonable based on assessment of value for money and whether alternatives may adequately address need
Exclusion principles
- Services, goods or supports that people are expected to cover out of their general income throughout their life regardless of age or wealth
- Accommodation costs (for example, rent, mortgage fees, rates, strata levies, home insurance, utilities)
- Services already funded, or more appropriately funded, under other Commonwealth, state, territory or local government programs
- Payment of Support at Home co-contribution fees
- Payment for informal care which is covered by other Commonwealth programs
- Provision of cash debit cards or like payments to care recipients for any purpose
- Activities that the community would not accept as suitable for government funding
- Activities likely to cause harm to the participant or pose a risk to others
The Aged Care Taskforce’s recommendations underscore the importance of strengthening home care services to meet the evolving needs of the aged care community. Embracing technology solutions like CareLineLive can play a pivotal role in achieving this goal and ensuring a better experience for both the aged community and service providers.
Aged Care Taskforce Report summary
In summary, the Aged Care Taskforce, established in June 2023, has highlighted critical issues facing the aged care sector, particularly in home care provision. It emphasises the importance of supporting older individuals to age in place and addresses challenges such as inconsistent assessments and funding limitations. Having provision of the right technology (such as the CareLineLive complete home care management system) will be integral to a provider’s efficiency at this time.
The upcoming Support at Home Program, set to launch in July 2025, aims to tackle inadequate funding issues by promoting autonomy, access, flexibility, and transparency. By maintaining compliance through effective record-keeping and reporting obligations, CareLineLive can assist the provider in staying abreast of these and other future changes.
Overall, the Taskforce’s insights and recommendations provide a roadmap for enhancing home care services and improving the quality of life for older individuals. Change is inevitable, but by arming your agency now with the right knowledge and tools (i.e. advanced and progressive homecare technology such as CareLineLive), you can futureproof for the uncertain times ahead.
How can CareLineLive support homecare providers
CareLineLive can improve business management efficiency, support regulatory compliance, promote sustainability, and enhance the experience for all stakeholders. Explore our customised all-in-one management system and schedule a free, no-obligation demo today.
