Home Support Programme & Home Care Packages in 2024
Longreach Home and Community Care Inc. recognises that services provided to the elderly and people with a disability must be person-centred, and build on a person’s independence, rather than fostering dependence on HACC as the service provider.
Our aged care services have been designed to make life easier for consumers of aged care programs, and their carers, to ensure living at home is enjoyable and safe without sacrificing privacy.
Our person-centred care promotes individual choice and supports the maintenance of the family unit and lifestyle choices. Through the consultative and collaborative development of a Care Service Plan, CHSP services are identified and tailored to the consumer needs. The Care Service Plan is reviewed annually to ensure the highest quality, safe and effective care is delivered.
Our friendly, professional team take pride in fostering nurturing relationships that enhance the functional capacity and social and emotional wellbeing of our clients.
In 2024, all eligible Home Care Packages (HCP) consumers can choose Longreach HACC, to deliver HCP services on behalf of Trilogy Care. Under the Aged Care Act 1997, the Australian Government provides funding to consumers to support their choosing an approved provider to deliver their home aged care needs. Trilogy Care will be brokering Longreach HACC to continue delivering quality, safe, consistent aged care services in our community.
In 2024, Longreach HACC will be able to deliver services to consumers on Level 1 – Level 4 packages. All eligible consumers must be registered with Trilogy Care as their approved HCP provider, to receive in-home care services with HACC.
Both models of aged care service will change on 1st July 2025, with the introduction of a new in-home aged care program – Support at Home. This is a government initiative in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care.
Our Services include:
Domestic Assistance
Domestic Assistants provide CHSP clients help with general house cleaning, linen services and unaccompanied shopping (delivered to home).
Services which are not included are spring cleaning, blanket/curtain washing, cleaning up after pets, polishing floors/silver, cleaning venetian blinds, looking after boarders/visitors, cleaning up after visitors and moving heavy furniture or tasks involving climbing on ladders.
A fee of $10 per hour will be charged for this service
Home care is not provided on weekends, public holidays or between Christmas and New Year.
Home Care Package (HCP) clients will need to budget for the frequency of domestic assistance. A scheduled fixed-fee of $65 per hour will be charged for this service. The minimum charge will be 30 minutes. Service provision over an hour will be charged in 15 minute increments.
Additionally, a transport cost of $10 per visit, for staff travel, will be included on client invoices.
Personal Care
Personal Care Workers assist CHSP clients with routine activities such as bathing, dressing and grooming on a daily basis Monday – Friday. This service will be significantly reduced over the Christmas holiday period, due to reduced availability of staff. Only high priority clients will receive Personal Care support at this time.
A $5 showering fee is charged, per day, for this CHSP service.
No personal care services (CHSP or HCP) will be available on public holidays or weekends.
Home Care Package clients will be charged a fee of $72 per hour for the delivery of personal care services. Additionally there will be a $10 fee for staff travel.
Centre Based Activities
Attendance and participation in CHSP structured group excursions and activities is designed to develop, maintain and support the capacity for independent living and social interaction. These include cards, craft and games mornings, morning teas and lunches.
Clients will contribute $2 per group activity session eg Cards / Bingo.
Clients are required to pay for any costs associated with participating in structured group excursions, craft activities and lunches.
HCP clients are welcome to attend the CHSP weekly group social activities at the HACC Centre eg Cards and Bingo. Clients are expected to pay a contribution fee of $2.
Social Support Individual
CHSP clients requiring individual social support to participate in community life, complete weekly shopping, banking, and/or library visits will be asked for a client contribution fee of $5 (as of 2nd January 2024).
Transport for activities other than medical or Allied Health appointments will be charged $10 return trip for CHSP clients.
HCP clients requiring individual social support (in-home visits, contact via telephone, supported shopping, banking, library visits, attending medical appointments) will be charged $72 per hour.
HCP consumer transport to attend medical appointments, chemist, optometrist, Flying Surgeon appointments, dental, GP clinic, blood tests at the Longreach Base Hospital, will be $80 per hour.
Charges will be a minimum of 15 minutes ($20).
Home Maintenance (Home Assist Secure)
CHSP clients may be eligible for home maintenance services to improve accessibility and independence and reduce health and safety hazards in their home. A RAS assessment is required to ascertain eligibility for a financial contribution toward labour costs for minor home maintenance or modifications. There are conditions of eligibility for financial contribution.
An initial call out fee of $5 will be charged. This fee varies, depending on work completed.
Home Assist Secure does not undertake maintenance or repairs considered to be the responsibility of a landlord.
Home Care Package clients requiring minor home maintenance will be charged $80 per hour.
This fee structure can vary depending on the work requested. Specialist tradespeople will provide a quote before commencement of works.
Nursing Care
CHSP domiciliary nurses provide nursing services such as wound dressings, monitoring diabetics, post-operative care and monitoring of general health for clients in their own homes. Administering medication and nail care are not included in this service.
A $10 wound care fee will be charged for this service. Should special dressings be required, the cost of these dressings will be the responsibility of the consumer.
There is a capped fee for CHSP clients at $20 / week. This will cover RN visits and basic wound dressings.
HCP clients requiring more complex nursing services will be charged $110 per hour. Additionally, in-home nursing care will incur a fee of $10 for staff travel.
Gardening and Yard Maintenance
CHSP clients, who are eligible for light gardening and yard maintenance, will be required to pay a call-out fee of $5. Yard maintenance and gardening services directly relate to ensuring client safety, rather than maintaining a garden’s visual appeal.
This service includes:
- mowing – where there are identified issues for client safety and access. Frequency of services is adjusted seasonally.
- pruning of hedges, trees, bushes
- removal of garden rubbish, yard clearance
- whipper snipper garden areas
This service DOES NOT include:
- paving, concreting / landscaping
- creating / removal of garden beds
- compost heaps
- watering systems / water features / rock gardens
- planting and maintaining crops
CHSP clients will not be eligible for services where there is a third party responsibility for the maintenance of the property eg private rental landlord, government housing / social housing.
HCP clients are eligible for yard maintenance as noted above. Yard / garden maintenance fee is $80 per hour.
Transport
Transport can be arranged for clients to attend medical appointments, chemist, optometrist, dental and other medical services. A 19 seater wheelchair accessible bus is available for group transport.
There is a $10 return fee for transport service per consumer.
Transport for group social excursions outside the township of Longreach will incur a higher fee – maximum of $20 per person return.