The Commonwealth Government holds responsibility for both Disability and Aged Care. Local Government, like other providers, has delivered Aged and Disability Services through service contracts with the Commonwealth.

Through a series of recent reforms, the Commonwealth is creating a more consistent national system that provides ‘integrated care’ from entry-level home support through to residential aged care.

The new program, ‘Support at Home’, will replace the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme, from July 2024.

A Support at Home Overview Paper is available on this website which provides an overview of the proposed design for the new Program. Preliminary information indicates agencies will register as providers of ‘Support at Home’ in a similar way agencies can register as National Disability Insurance Scheme providers.

Customers can then choose to receive services from the agency of their choice. Council has decided that it cannot provide services under the Support at Home model, for similar reasons it was determined Council could not provide services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

This is a shift being seen across many other local government areas in Victoria where Councils are considering the balance between providing high quality care and value for money for ratepayers and clients. This certainly isn’t a decision that has been taken lightly, but rather in the best interests of both our ratepayers and the valuable Aged and Disability clients we have proudly served over the years.

The current Commonwealth programs have a history of long wait times, variable service availability across locations and overall lack of efficiency, as a model to provide the services that our older community members need to stay living at home for as long as possible.

The system with multiple funded programs is complicated and confusing for families.

The new model being established by the Commonwealth is very much geared towards choice for clients, and to private specialised businesses offering Aged and Disability services rather than local government.

This will allow the private sector to grow – it will create jobs and opportunity, and ultimately provide our clients with more quality choice when it comes to their care. It also means Council can take on more of an advocacy role, working with our community to achieve the best outcomes in Aged and Disability service provision.

Five new providers have been awarded contracts by the Commonwealth Government to deliver Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services currently provided by Mildura Rural City Council. For information about cost and service providers capacity please contact the providers directly.

Clients can contact Council on 03 5018 8234 (prior to 30 June) or 03 5018 8100 (after 30 June) and a Council Officer can provide the information. All incoming providers are in the process of contacting clients to complete their onboarding process. Due to the large number of people transitioning, those receiving Personal Care and Flexible Respite will be contacted as a priority, followed by those receiving other service types including Domestic Assistance and Property Maintenance. It is expected some customers may not be contacted by their new provider until mid-July.

Service commencement dates should be discussed with your new provider directly. All incoming providers are committed to commencing Personal Care and Flexible Respite services in line with their contract commencement date of 1 July 2023. We expect that there will be gaps in service delivery for Domestic Assistance and potentially Property Maintenance services. To prepare for a possible gap in service provision we recommend you talk to your support network and make a plan, especially for Domestic Assistance services. If you have any concerns, please speak to your new provider directly.

We understand that some clients may be frustrated if they did not receive their first preference provider(s). Council gave clients the choice of incoming providers, by asking clients to complete a ‘consent to share information’ form. This asked for clients first and second preference for each service type, in anticipation that more clients may choose a provider than what that provider is funded for. Where possible, clients have been allocated first preference, however this was not always possible. Each incoming provider has given Council the number of clients they can take for each service type based on funding they will receive from the Commonwealth.

The new providers will be required to work within the same fee range as Council does, which is determined by the Commonwealth. Each provider has different fees, but they should be within the set range. Should you have concerns about being able to pay for services please speak to you provider(s) about their hardship policy.

Where there are multiple providers for a service type, you may be able to swap if another provider has capacity to meet your needs. We strongly encourage you to first talk with your provider about any issues and ask for your patience as providers to finalise staffing. Should you wish to change provider(s) and have confirmed with another provider that they have capacity to deliver the services you require, you can do so by contacting My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 after 1 July 2023.

Council staff are here to help you. If you have a question not addressed above, please Council’s Customer Service team on 03 5018 8100.