The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) 2025–27 extension webinar on Tuesday was the Department of Health and Aged Care's first "substantive" engagement with the sector about the programme since the Aged Care Bill 2024 was released on 12 September.
In hearings, the Senate Inquiry has heard on several occasions providers are concerned about the lack of data available on CHSP reforms, which, though not being rolled out until after 1 July 2027, will require changes of providers as they will be operating under the new Aged Care Act.
The webinar heard in the period between the new Act starting and CHSP moving into the Support at Home program, current CHSP providers will become 'Specialist Aged Care Program Providers' and will be regulated under the new Act but their funding source will remain grant agreements.
Single assessment system
The webinar also heard that the Single Assessment System workforce will be using the Integrated Assessment Took (IAT) from 1 January 2025 to assess older people requiring aged care services, as opposed to the current Aged Care Assessment Teams and Regional Assessment Services, which are using the IAT. This is the continuation of the process to move to a Single Assessment System.
CHSP providers deemed to new registration categories
One of the key messages for CHSP providers was that they will have to register under the universal provider registration system according to six categories under the reforms (see above image).
The Department of Health and Aged Care has begun contacting providers to confirm contact details, and then they will discuss the registration categories under the new Act. So far, the Department has contacted 2.5% of providers, but they aim to have confirmed the information with all providers by the end of the year (see main image).
No caps on domestic assistance, home maintenance
The webinar heard that the Service List will be standardised from 1 July 2025 under the new Aged Care Act, with some exceptions. While the services CHSP providers offer will not change significantly, the names of those services might change.
Under CHSP, there won't be any hourly caps on domestic assistance or home maintenance and repairs, as opposed to Support at Home, which will cap Government funded support for cleaning at 52 hours per year and 18 hours per year for gardening.
The Department has released a draft CHSP Service Catalogue.
19% CHSP referrals from Home Care waiting list
In 2023-24, 835,000 older Australians received CHSP support, with nearly one in five (19%) CHSP referrals coming from a person on the Home Care Package National Priority System waiting list. As of 30 September, there were 76,000 older Australians waiting to receive Home Care at their correct level of assessed need. The Government's reforms are intended to allow older Australians to remain living at home for longer, and are targeted at releasing 300,000 Home Care Packages within a decade.
Slides from the presentation are available here.