Home Care

The Federal Government introduced the Increasing Choice in Home Care (ICHC) reforms in February 2017. Since the implementation of ICHC, LASA has provided robust and independent advocacy on behalf of the sector and has published the following significant reports:
LASA Analysis: Responding to the Home Care Packages Waitlist Crisis
Reflecting on the First Year of Increasing Choice in Home Care
Unmet Needs and Unspent Funds: Improving Home Care Package Assignment
You can view LASA’s most recent webinar on future home care reforms below:
LASA Home Care Information Series
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 1 – My Aged Care National Prioritisation Process
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 2 – Home Package Levels
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 3– Unspent Home Care Amounts & Exit Amounts
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 4 – Top Tips: Regulation Focus
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 5 – Frequently Asked Questions
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 6 – Summary of the Home Care Changes
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 7 – Updated Summary of the Home Care Changes
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 8 – Updated Information
Home Care Reforms Info Series – Issue 9 – Update
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 10 – Package upgrades
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 11 – Multiple NAPS ID Services
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 12 – LASA’s MAC Provider Survey and Liaison with the DoH
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 13 – LASA’s MAC Provider Survey Final Report
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 14 – Consumer Choice and Home Care Package Budget Expenditure
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 15 – Home Care Package Activations
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 16 – NACA Discussion Paper / ACFA Annual Report
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 17 – Income Tested Fees / ITF’s / Home Care Packages Data Report
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 18 – Combining or Transferring Services / Incorrect Package Withdrawals
Home Care Reforms Info Series Issue 19 – LASA’s Second Home Care Provider Report
Overview of Home Care Changes
Federal Parliament passed the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Increasing Consumer Choice) Act 2016 in March 2016, which resulted in amendments to existing Principles and Determinations and the introduction of new Legislative Instruments to support the Act. The four new Legislative Instruments are:
- Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Increasing Consumer Choice) Principles 2016
- Prioritised Home Care Recipients Principles 2016
- Aged Care (Subsidy, Fees and Payments) Amendment (Increasing Consumer Choice) Determination 2016
- Aged Care (Transitional Provision) (Subsidy and Other Measures) Amendment (Increasing Consumer Choice) Determination 2016
The first part of these changes saw the introduction of three major changes to the delivery of home care:
- the Home Care Package funding following the consumer.
- one national prioritisation system for people waiting for a Home Care Package (a national queue) supported by a National Package Inventory, which will identify all used and unused packages.
- improvements to the process for organisations to become an Approved Provider.
Department of Health Resources
The Department of Health released several resources to help people understand the key changes, including factsheets and webinars. This information is available via the Department’s website. Webinars available on demand via the Department’s website include:
- Increasing Choice in Home Care – Operational Readiness
- Increasing Choice in Home Care – My Aged Care Service Finder functionality
- Increasing Choice in Home Care – Changing Providers and Unspent Funds
The Department also released the following factsheets for providers and consumers:
Provider Factsheets | Topics Covered |
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Introduction to Home Care Changes |
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Consumer Directed Care |
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Supporting Client Discussions |
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Discussing the Assessment and Approval Process with Clients |
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National Prioritisation Process |
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Changing Home Care Providers |
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Unspent Home Care Amounts |
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Overview of Exit Amounts |
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Exit Amount – Transition Provisions |
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Home Care Package service finder |
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Consumer Factsheets Topics Covered
Consumer Directed Care |
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Changes to Home Care |
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Other resources available on the Department’s website include:
Upcoming Events
Tri State Conference 2019
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Regional Industry Forum (Mackay, QLD)
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Upcoming Training
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