General News
10 March, 2023
Local elderly face more changes due to federal legislation
A major reworking of the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) is driving both Yarriambiack and Hindmarsh Shires to cease service delivery. At its March meeting, Yarriambiack Shire Council resolved to transition out of the program, following...
A major reworking of the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) is driving both Yarriambiack and Hindmarsh Shires to cease service delivery.
At its March meeting, Yarriambiack Shire Council resolved to transition out of the program, following Hindmarsh Shire’s recent decision to prepare to leave both CHSP and the state-funded Home and Community Care Program for Younger People (HACC-PYP) from June 30.
The two shires have acknowledged that a restructure of the national program will make their continued participation unfeasible, given their relatively small client numbers.
The federal home-based aged-care service supports almost one million senior Australians to stay longer in their own homes and communities.
From July 1 next year, the existing CHSP will change to a new-look Support at Home Program providing an across-the-board model of support needed for residents aged 65 years-plus to live independently.
Yarriambiack Shire Council mayor Cr Kylie Zanker said the decision was “one of the most difficult we have had to make”.
However, “the significant changes being introduced into the aged-care industry (have) made it almost impossible for council to continue to deliver the services”, Cr Zanker said.
The reforms are seeking to find a more efficient and effective Australia-wide model to meet the growing demand for aged-care services.
This will include introducing a standardised national and competitive approach to service delivery that will enable the consumer to control their own care.
The aim is to provide clients with greater choice between providers.
These changes will see eligible residents receive Commonwealth-funded support packages with which to purchase services directly from providers.
“To be a provider within the new program, councils will have to operate under a similar governance framework to specialist aged-care service agencies that deliver clinical services, such as our health services,” Hindmarsh Shire Council mayor Cr Brett Ireland said.
“As the in-home aged-care service market in our small shires are comparatively small, commercialisation of these services will be unsuitable and unsustainable - in which case, full cost-reflective pricing would be required to achieve competitive neutrality.
“As the number of clients on HACC-PYP is very low, it is not feasible for council to continue to deliver this service.”
Cr Zanker added: “(Yarriambiack Shire) Council is not a health service provider and does not have the skills to manage and monitor clinical governance.
“We do not have the in-house expertise to meet the new Support at Home Program requirements.
“Council would need to recruit this expertise, which would be problematic in the already stretched labour market.”
Cr Ireland said a change in funding arrangements had already begun, “increasing the workload on current staff who are already under-resourced in numbers”.
“It has been identified that organisations that already deliver National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) services will be far better placed and at an advantage to meet the requirements of the new program,” he said.
“The business model will be an easier fit and align with organisations already administering NDIS and Aged Care Package programs.”
Existing CHSP contracts with the Commonwealth, which also include meals-on-wheels, home modifications and seniors group activities, will expire on June 30 this year.
The shires have been notified that a one-year extension is being made available to the end of June 2024 before the transition to the Support at Home Program is implemented by July 2024.
After seeking feedback from its staff, Yarriambiack Shire Council has resolved to exit CHSP this year.
Hindmarsh is taking a similar approach and is currently consulting with its own team before making a formal decision this month.
The 2023 exit will enable both shires to offer a transition period and assist new providers to enter the region.
Across Yarriambiack Shire, 524 clients are serviced by 14 staff members.
In Hindmarsh Shire, 18 community care workers service 227 clients with domestic assistance, transport, personal care and meals.
Staff in both shires have been informed and are working with management on their career pathways.
Council officers in Yarriambiack and Hindmarsh are working in partnership to assess the market and meet with alternative providers to ascertain if service delivery will be maintained, and in some cases improved, across the region.
“Both councils want to assure their communities that they will not be left without a home support and meals-on-wheels service,” Cr Zanker said.
“A transition period will be implemented and council will not exit the program until a new provider is appointed and in place.
“All stakeholders are currently in discussions about how this will look across the region and we are advocating strongly to suitable candidates.
“We’ll ensure clients, as our number one priority, are kept up to date with any confirmed developments.”