Submission: Inquiry into the Transition of the Commonwealth Home Support Program to the Support at Home Program

AHPA responds to the Australian Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the Transition of the Commonwealth Home Support Program to the Support at Home Program.

CHSP provides important support for the majority of home aged care consumers, but a number of problems with its efficacy have emerged. These problems appear to result not so much from CHSP itself, but rather lengthy Home Care Package – and now Support at Home – wait times. As a result, CHSP is now both oversubscribed and supporting clients with complex needs who are unable to access Support at Home. At the same time, CHSP has been neglected in both funding and policy, including a complete lack of data on allied health service provision.

For these reasons, AHPA advocates that before embarking on any proposed CHSP transition to Support at Home, CHSP’s unique elements must not be lost.

Note: Since this submission, AHPA has joined the CHSP Alliance, which calls for the maintenance, funding and further development of CHSP as the primary tier of the aged care system.