The number of older Australians waiting to receive the level of home care they have been assessed as needing has blown out to 76,000 as of 30 September, a Canberra hearing of the Senate Inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024 was told on Monday.

The hearing was a late addition to the hearing schedule, with witnesses appearing from the Department of Health and Aged Care, including Michael Lye, Deputy Secretary responsible for Ageing and Aged Care, and Mel Metz, Assistant Secretary of the Aged Care Legislative Brach.

In May, 68,000 older Australians were on the national prioritised home care wait list, meaning the number has increased 12% in only four months.

A nine-month wait for 'medium priority' Home Care

The Shadow Minister for Aged Care Senator Anne Ruston grilled the Department of Health and Aged Care over several aspects of the reforms, including how long older Australians are waiting for the level of home care they have been assessed as needing. Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, has said the Albanese government aims to shorten wait times for Home Care Packages to an average of three months from July 2027.

Thea Connolly, First Assistant Secretary, Home and Residential Division, said the current wait time for Home Care Packages across all levels and all priorities is 5.5 months. The latest data from the Department of Health and Aged Care puts the wait time for a Level 3 Home Care Package at 12 months. 

The Government has pledged to reduce wait times to three months by 2027. The former Government added 80,000 Home Care Packages to the system in 2021 as part of its response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and brought the wait times down to one to three months for any package. In the last Federal Budget, the current Government only added 24,100 packages, and wait times have blown out shockingly. 

Thea said 99% of people waiting for a Home Care Package are receiving some form of care, often through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).

48 days on average to receive an ACAT assessment

The state or territory with the longest wait time is Canberra with an average of 82 days, followed by Queensland 59 and NSW 55. Older Australians in some parts of Australia are waiting more than 18 months for a Home Care Package from the time they seek assistance to receiving care at their assessed level of need. 

The ACAT data tells us older Australians in some parts of Australia could be waiting more than 18 months for a Home Care Package from the time they seek assistance to receiving care at their assessed level of need. 

Final report due in 10 days

The final hearing of the Senate Inquiry will be held on Thursday, 24 October, in Darwin, Northern Territory. 

In total, the Inquiry will conduct 10 hearings around the country, and has received more than 100 submissions.

The Inquiry is due to report on 31 October, less than a month after hearings began.