Council makes decision on aged care service delivery

Published on 26 August 2022

Council has decided to change the way it provides aged care services as of 1 July 2023, following Commonwealth Government changes to the sector under Aged Care Reforms.

After much consideration, Council has decided not to become a Support at Home provider under the new Commonwealth arrangements, and instead look to other ways it can support its ageing population on a larger scale.

The Commonwealth Government is making fundamental changes to the way it will fund and provide aged care services into the future, which Council needs to respond to.

This decision means that the Commonwealth Government will allocate other providers to deliver services currently provided by Council including, domestic assistance, personal care, respite, social support and centre-based meals.

Council's CEO Bernie O’Sullivan said that significant and continuing reforms by the Commonwealth Government mean that Council is not best positioned to continue providing these services.

“Council has been reviewing its own service delivery in aged care since reforms began to be introduced 10 years ago, which includes the way home support programs are funded, planned and delivered. The aim of these reforms is to increase the number of service providers, and create more choice and flexibility for clients. These reforms encourage providers to have size, scale and efficiencies, making it difficult for councils to continue delivering direct care services.”

“Making this decision now, before the Commonwealth’s proposed shift to the new Support at Home model, ensures our valuable clients and dedicated staff will be as prepared and supported as they can be for the change.”

“Our goal now turns to continuity of care until our current contract ends in mid-2023, and ensuring our clients experience a seamless transition to new service providers when the time comes.”

Mr O’Sullivan acknowledged the professionalism shown by staff and volunteers, thanking them for their continuing dedication to their more than 400 clients, particularly through the recent challenges of COVID-19.

The decision will now see a staff consultation process commence, which is set out in Council’s enterprise agreement.

“We are committed to providing whatever support we can to both staff and clients over the coming 10 months, as we prepare for this change,” he said.

Mayor Cr Jennifer Anderson said that whilst direct individual support to remain at home is a critical aspect of wellbeing, there were other areas Council delivers, and will continue to invest in, looking after all our older residents to ensure fulfilled and healthy lives. Such investments include social connection for ageing residents, improving infrastructure, advocating the important role older residents play in the community and ensuring support services required are attracted to the shire.

“We believe this is an opportunity to work with older people across the shire to co-design a new model of information, advocacy and services, ensuring that we reinvest in the activities that will provide benefit to a broader range of older people, addressing local needs beyond the Commonwealth Government’s aged care program.”

“Currently, less than five percent of the almost 10,000 people aged 65+ living in the shire are accessing commonwealth supported aged care services through Council, including cleaning and respite. Council is keen to expand the reach of the work we will do in the future to support an increased number of older people in different ways, outside of the commonwealth’s Support at Home model,” she said.

Current service agreements for delivering Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) supports are in place until June 2023. Council has committed to working with the Commonwealth Government to negotiate timing and transition processes that will protect the interests of clients, their families, staff and the broader community. It will continue to play an active role in ensuring the community receives high-quality aged care services and will advocate for the needs of vulnerable community members.

Over the coming month, Council will consult further with seniors across the Macedon Ranges, to understand what is important to them. This information will assist in developing a new model of information, advocacy, activities and supports that are developed with residents of the shire, for residents of the shire.

Council currently has a range of ongoing commitments towards supporting older community members, which continue beyond the delivery of CHSP in home services and include: