Aged & Disability Services Update - April 2023

The Commonwealth Government holds responsibility for both Disability and Aged Care. Local Government, like other providers, has delivered Aged and Disability Services through service contracts with the Commonwealth.

Through a series of recent reforms, the Commonwealth is creating a more consistent national system that provides ‘integrated care’ from entry-level home support through to residential aged care.

The new program, ‘Support at Home’, will replace the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme, from July 2024.

A Support at Home Overview Paper is available at yoursay.mildura.vic.gov.au/ADS-update, which provides an overview of the proposed design for the new Program. Preliminary information indicates agencies will register as providers of ‘Support at Home’ in a similar way agencies can register as National Disability Insurance Scheme providers.

Customers can then choose to receive services from the agency of their choice. Council has decided that it cannot provide services under the Support at Home model, for similar reasons it was determined Council could not provide services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

This is a shift being seen across many other local government areas in Victoria where Councils are considering the balance between providing high quality care and value for money for ratepayers and clients. This certainly isn’t a decision that has been taken lightly, but rather in the best interests of both our ratepayers and the valuable Aged and Disability clients we have proudly served over the years.

The current Commonwealth programs have a history of long wait times, variable service availability across locations and overall lack of efficiency, as a model to provide the services that our older community members need to stay living at home for as long as possible.

The system with multiple funded programs is complicated and confusing for families.

The new model being established by the Commonwealth is very much geared towards choice for clients, and to private specialised businesses offering Aged and Disability services rather than local government.

This will allow the private sector to grow – it will create jobs and opportunity, and ultimately provide our clients with more quality choice when it comes to their care. It also means Council can take on more of an advocacy role, working with our community to achieve the best outcomes in Aged and Disability service provision.

Five new providers have been awarded contracts by the Commonwealth Government to deliver Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services currently provided by Mildura Rural City Council.

You can contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit www.myagedcare.gov.au

Please select the option ‘I do not wish to transition to any of these providers and will contact My Aged Care to discuss other options’ on the consent form and return it to Council by 19 May 2023.

The new providers will be required to work within the same fee range as Council does, which is determined by the Commonwealth. Each provider may have slightly different fees, but they should be within the set range. Please ask your new provider about their fees, charges and hardship policies before commencing services with them.

Council will work with the new providers to transition clients by 30 June 2023. For some of our clients the change may occur earlier, however we will work with you if this is the case.

Council will not share any of your information without your consent. Clients have been sent a ‘Consent to Share Client Information Form’, which will state what information may be shared with the new provider/s. Sharing your information with an incoming provider is required to assist with transitioning your services.

The new providers will work under the same guidelines and standards that Council works under. Staff must be qualified or engaged in training to gain their qualification to work in Aged Care service delivery.

We cannot guarantee this. Some staff may choose to work with one of the new providers. It is the staff’s choice if they wish to share this information with Council or their clients.

We will be working closely with the new providers to support a continuation of your services. Council is aware gaps in service delivery has been a problem in other areas and we are committed to minimising this during the transition.

Where there are multiple providers for a service type, you may be able to swap if another provider has capacity to meet your needs. We strongly encourage you to firstly talk with your provider about any issues. If you are not happy with the outcome, you can then contact the Aged Care Commissioner to discuss your concerns.

If you cannot resolve an issue with your new provider, you can write a letter to:

Aged Care Commissioner
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
GPO Box 9819, Melbourne

Make sure your letter includes:

• your name, address, and telephone number
• the date you are lodging your complaint
• details of your complaint, including specific dates of events and relevant comments
• the name of the aged care service and the state/territory in which it is located
• the name of the consumer (if lodging the complaint on behalf of someone) that your complaint relates to

Council’s future role might include:

• Health and wellbeing – championing strategies, plans and initiatives the promote older people have a healthy and active lifestyle
• Advocacy – ensuring that services are delivered to meet the needs of an ageing community
• Navigation, information and access support – making sure that vulnerable members of the community gain and maintain access to the service system

Less than 10 per cent of Victorian Councils have indicated they will look to operate within the new Support at Home Program. There is no evidence these Councils are able to operate at a breakeven cost. Individual Councils will be best placed to determine what is in their community’s best interests.