July 28th, 2025Home care queries but changes afoot

After last edition’s Home Care articles in The Local, a number of people have been in touch with further accounts of incidents involving a range of care providers.
One woman said she had called after months of waiting for help, only to find her husband’s name had been removed from the waiting list.
When she explained to the staff member that she had been waiting for a long time, the staffer told her bluntly to try elsewhere. The staffer reluctantly returned her husband’s name to the list.
One issue not touched on in the last edition was the fees being charged to home care clients – which seem high and not at market value.
Central Highlands Rural Health was the only provider to send through its Community Services Fee Schedule. It is easy to see how a client could quickly use their subsidies – especially for unforeseen visits by nurses on weekends and public holidays.
The fee, (excluding GST) for personal, home or respite care is $77 per hour from Monday to Friday. It rises to $113 per hour on weekends, and weekdays after 6pm. Public holidays are $148 per hour and public holidays which fall on weekends are $185 per hour.
A registered nurse receives $140 an hour on Monday to Friday, $211 for weekends, $281 for public holidays and $349 per hour for public holidays which fall on weekends.
An enrolled nurse receives $117 for Monday to Friday, $176 for weekends, $235 for public holidays and $293 for public holidays which fall on weekends.
Allied health professionals receive up to $199 per hour for Monday to Friday.
For property maintenance or gardening the going rate is $90 per hour.
The Local sent a list of questions to CHRH last week. We asked about the high fees charged and if the staffer received that amount? We also queried if the client could choose to use services from other people to stretch their funding further.
Finally, The Local asked if the care management fees of CHRH’s 120 client was attributed equally the organisation was receiving almost $1.5 million in management fees – where does that money go?
In response, CHRH Care at Home Manager Jo Cocks said the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website provided comprehensive information on the Home Care Package program.
“This resource outlines key program details for both community members and service providers, including obligations, fee structures, and service lists,” she said.
“As a public health service, CHRH operates under strict regulatory oversight. Our programs and services, including the Home Care Package program, are subject to regular reporting, audits, and accreditation processes. CHRH has been assessed as compliant and meets all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.
“As the new Aged Care Act highlights, choice and control sit firmly with the individual, and we fully support that approach. We encourage anyone considering a Home Care Package to do their research when choosing a provider. It’s important to compare not just services, but also pricing and how those services are delivered.”
From November 1, 2025, the federal government will introduce a new Support at Home program that will replace the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme, and from no earlier than July 1, 2027, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme will transition into Support at Home.
The changes are in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, from 2018 to 2021.
Support at Home will have eight classifications for ongoing services, replacing the four Home Care Package levels. Each classification will have a budget for participants to access services and annual budgets will be broken into quarterly budgets.
Participants can carry over unspent funds of up to $1000 or 10 per cent of the quarterly budget (whichever is greater). Ten per cent of each participant’s quarterly budget will be set aside for care management delivered by their service provider.
The new End-of-Life Pathway will give participants who have three months or less to live access to a higher level of in-home aged care services. This aims to help them stay at home for as long as possible.
From November 1, 2025, the federal government will also run a pooled funding trial for older people in group settings – such as a retirement village.
Trial participants will have the option to use some or all of their funding to access services on a more flexible or as needed basis (for example, a mini-bus service).
Some of the feedback on the last edition of The Local included:
“Your article summarised what we as a community have always known about aged care. I am greatly disturbed by the cost of administration, how can there be a justification of 30 to 35 per cent being paid as fees. When I read about the wages paid to senior executives of the companies and the profits made by the organisations running the schemes I am a little disgusted. Making money out of the suffering of the aged. I guess an inquiry into the fees charged is warranted.”
Meanwhile, a woman wrote to The Local.
“I have just been reading your article re Aged Care – help or the lack of it. Some years ago, when my husband, now deceased, required safety rails in the bathroom he approached Hepburn Council who eventually sent around an assessor.
“We already had the rails and all we needed was a handyman to attach them. However, the assessor eventually sent around the handyman who insisted on fitting his own rails. As a result, I have, in their boxes unused, a 900mm grab rail and 2 x 450mm grab rails. I would gladly give these to your needy elderly, and if needed, pay for someone to install them – unfortunately to do so myself is a little beyond my scope.” If anyone would like the rails please email donna@tlnews.com.au
Please be someone really in need, in the spirit in which they are offered.
(Ed’s note: There are many home care agencies. CHRH was just the only one to send its fees – without being asked. So full disclosure from the agency.)
Words: Donna Kelly