The Australian Government is prioritising cost-saving over the care needs of older Australians, with its Support at Home program withholding essential services people have already been assessed as needing, leaving many without the care they require and their health deteriorating while they wait.
In our submission to the Senate inquiry into the Support at Home Program, we warn the program is not delivering on its objective to help older Australians live safely and independently at home. Instead, Support at Home is creating more complexity, reducing access to care and shifting costs onto older people, families and the broader health system.
While Juniper supported the intent of the program and worked closely with customers to prepare for the transition, evidence gathered over the past nine months shows many older Australians are financially worse off under the new system, receiving less care than they previously could access or declining services altogether because they cannot afford them.
Juniper Chief Executive Officer Russell Bricknell said while Juniper has been committed to rolling out the Support at Home reforms, significant changes are needed if they are to achieve their original purpose.
“Support at Home was designed to help older Australians remain independent for longer, but too many people are waiting for care, receiving only part of the support they’ve been assessed as needing or making impossible choices because essential services become unaffordable,” Mr Bricknell said.
“Providing timely support at home is not only better for older Australians, it’s also one of the most cost-effective investments Government can make. Delaying care simply shifts far greater costs onto hospitals, emergency departments and residential aged care.”
Juniper’s submission identifies a series of issues undermining the program, including:
- Delays leaving older Australians without the care they need
- Older Australians receiving only 60% of the care they have been approved for
- The Minimum Service Offering (MSO) is reducing access to care and shifting costs and demand elsewhere in the aged care and wider health system
- Government cost-saving taking priority over older Australians’ care, with funding settings failing to reflect the true cost of delivering care and risking the sustainability of provider services
- Care Partners spending more time on paperwork than providing care, with increased administrative requirements reducing workforce capacity and contributing to burnout
With more than 200,000 older Australians waiting to be assessed or receive Support at Home, and thousands waiting in hospital for appropriate supports to return home safely, Juniper’s submission warns the current funding model represents a false economy and the Government risks repeating many of the failures identified by the 2018 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Mr Bricknell added: “By releasing only 60% of an approved package, the Government is withholding care people have already been assessed as needing, resulting in preventable health decline, avoidable hospital admissions and earlier entry into residential aged care.
“The Royal Commission was clear that older Australians should receive timely, appropriate care based on their needs. If we continue down the current path, we risk repeating many of the same failures the Commission identified.”
Juniper has made 11 recommendations to improve the program and ensure it delivers on its original intent.
These include delaying the transition of Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) until Support at Home is able to meet demand, increasing the number of available packages to eliminate waiting lists, removing or significantly reducing the 60% Minimum Service Offering restriction, reforming funding to better reflect the real cost of delivering care, particularly in regional and remote communities, simplifying administration and strengthening the assessment process by ensuring assessors can apply professional clinical judgement.
The Federal Government has since announced it will extend CHSP to 30 June 2029, giving 830,000 older Australians certainty about the services they use every day and supporting providers to continue critical aged care services.
Juniper’s submission to the Support at Home inquiry also calls for reforms to financial hardship arrangements, faster access to Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM), greater support for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a permanent regional and remote funding loading and the development of a new national aged care workforce strategy.
Mr Bricknell said the recommendations were designed to address the practical issues providers, customers and families were experiencing every day.
“These are practical, evidence-based changes that will improve equity, help more older Australians age safely at home and reduce pressure on hospitals and residential aged care,” he said. “The inquiry provides an important opportunity to strengthen the program before its shortcomings become entrenched.
“We remain committed to working constructively with Government to ensure Support at Home becomes a system that is sustainable for providers, practical for the workforce and, most importantly, delivers timely, affordable and appropriate care for older Australians.”
Mr Bricknell will appear at the Perth hearing of the Support at Home inquiry this Thursday, 27 August, presenting evidence from Juniper’s submission along with key recommendations.
Read Juniper’s submission to the Senate inquiry into the Support at Home program here.
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