More choices in home care

New system passes reins to customers

A HOME-care provider is warning that changes in the sector being introduced into Cairns at the end of the month could place more demand on the Far North’s public health services.

The Federal Government is introducing home-care packages delivered on a Consumer Directed Care (CDC) basis on February 27. The government says it will give people and their carers more choice and control over what services are delivered and where.

Essentially this will move the government-approved funding from a regulated services model to one driven by customers, underpinned by the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

However, St John’s Community Care’s outgoing Cairns manager Effie Bacalakis said the reforms to the aged-care and disability sector would place extra pressure upon the public health system.

“There will be a lot of de- mand, because everyone is working on the health and wellness approach,” she said.

“There will be a great increase in demand on the allied health professionals, as the client can spend their allocated funding at different levels (of support).”

She said the organisation had been busy preparing for the changes to home care delivery, including establishing new administrative processes for establishing individual budgets for clients.

“It’s going to be very transparent for the client,” she said.

“They know how much they’ve got to spend and use on themselves and they’re empowered with all this information so they can make the choice.”

The reforms have also opened the doors for more providers to enter the Far Northern market with homecare packages.

Envigor Private Home Care executive manager Tracey Silvester said her company was well-placed in the market to provide an alternative to notfor-profit home-care providers.

She described CDC as a game changer for the industry, giving clients more decisionmaking power and a louder voice to decide what types of care and services they could access, and how they were delivered.

“We understand what value for money looks like and we are committed to clients having an excellent experience every time to provide a service to them,” she said.

THERE WILL BE A GREAT INCREASE IN DEMAND ON THE ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AS THE CLIENT CAN SPEND THEIR ALLOCATED FUNDING AT DIFFERENT LEVELS (OF SUPPORT) EFFIE BACALAKIS