2024 in a nutshell

Analysis

1 Feb

2 minute read

We thought we’d give you a quick overview of the big-ticket items for HCP and CHSP for 2024, before the year disappears as quickly as wiggle room in your budget.

Despite the headline timeframes for the new Support at Home Program seeming quite a way off, there’s a lot happening this year - and did you notice it’s already February?

The Act

If it doesn’t get delayed in Parliament, the new Aged Care Act is due to come into effect from 1 July 2024. The current Act dates back to 1997 – that’s a generation ago. When the new Act lands, it’s got enough new directions in it to change the face of aged care for the next generation.

Regulation

While the new Act doesn’t immediately alter the funding mechanisms or program guidelines in HCP or CHSP, from day one it will fundamentally change the way we are regulated, including:

How providers register.
The rights and choices available to clients.
New quality standards.
New penalties for non-compliance.

Workforce

The Home Care Workforce Support Program is due to finish in March this year unless it’s extended. From July, new National Worker Screening requirements are due to extend the checks in aged care to be consistent with the NDIS.

Assessment

Also in July 2024, the oft-promised Single Assessment System will commence, bringing together ACAT, RAS and AN-ACC assessors into a single system. It will provide a single assessment pathway designed to adapt to changing needs, without having to change assessment providers. And a new Integrated Assessment Tool is promising to collect better information to ensure service recommendations and referrals are tailored to each person’s needs.

Support at Home Design

The design of the Support at Home Program will need to progress quickly, so expect lots more consultations. This month, the Department is seeking expressions of interest in no less than eight different online workshops on varying aspects of the new program’s design.

Get Set

Don’t procrastinate, while it’s tempting to wait for more detail, the scale and scope of things we need to get done in 2024 is big. All told, there’s not a lot of breathing space in the busy year ahead. The new quality standards alone are going to require very significant work by this July. You need to keep progressing your knowledge of the practice changes required and start the implementation process now.

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Paul Sadler

Few people have as much experience in the aged care sector as Paul. 35 years, to be exact. He’s been a national and state CEO of aged care industry associations, CEO of a major aged care provider, and influencer of ageing policy, disability and community care programs for both national and state governments. He actually enjoys staying on top of the detail and is always ready to share his wisdom and insights (which comes in kind of handy).