Enkindle Consulting show the gaps in the Support at Home Manual

The long-awaited Support at Home Manual (SaH) dropped last Friday, all 209 pages.

With many taking the long weekend to pore over its pages, some are concerned as much about the Manual's omissions as they are about its contents.

Jennene Buckley, Director Enkindle Consulting and former CEO of Feros Care, told The Weekly SOURCE the "majority" of the Manual summarises information that was already contained in the Stage 1 Claims and Payments Business Rules, draft Aged Care Rules, and the initial SaH handbook.

"Frustrated"

The Manual still doesn't contain all the information Support at Home providers need to move forward with implementing the reforms, which is likely to leave providers feeling "frustrated", she said. No delivery date was provided for remaining key missing details.

There are still five major Support at Home actions for which providers require more information, Jennene said.

1. New pricing so all clients HCP budgets can be reset for 1 July 2025 – waiting on pricing guidance from Government.
2. New client service agreements to be rolled out with revised budgets and pricing – waiting on further guidance and final aged care rules.
3. New subcontractor agreement to be rolled out to existing contractors – waiting on final guidance and final Aged Care Rules.
4. Newly formatted monthly statements meeting the ongoing and short term budgets and business rules – waiting on guidance and specified formats.
5. Reconfigured Client Management System to manage the complexity of the funding, business rules and multiple budgets - waiting on final specifications.

There are also missing details about security of tenure and ceasing services as it relates to the new Client contribution framework, and the risk of increased bad debts borne by providers.

Jennene noted that IT vendors are in the difficult situation of rebuilding their home care platforms while still waiting on the Government for final specifications.

"There is now less time for user acceptance testing, implementation of system upgrades, training of users, and change management processes," she said.

Timeframe "impossible"

Implementing the reforms within the given timeframe - now less than four months, is "somewhat impossible" and creates "significant risks", Jennene said, echoing comments made to The Weekly SOURCE last week by Tom Symondson, CEO Ageing Australia, the peak body for aged care providers.

What can be implemented

Jennene said providers can use the published draft SaH Program Manual and business rules to move forward with the following activities:

• communication planning,
• drafting of communication assets and training resources,
• financial modelling on pricing scenarios in readiness for the price guidance,
• reviewing and developing new case management models,
• end-of-life and restorative care services models, 
• undertake any associated workforce planning, and
• actively engage with software vendors on the system releases and training dates.

Jennene recommended that providers have extra staff on hand from April to September. "It will be a sprint to the finish line," she said.

Read the Manual here.