Welfare group the Brotherhood of St Laurence has raised concerns about the fate of respite services for people with high care needs under the government’s proposed new Commonwealth Home Support Program.
Christine Morka, Brotherhood’s general manager for retirement, ageing and financial inclusion, said the organisation’s respite programs, which delivered services to more complex clients, could be at risk when the National Respite for Carers Program (NRCP) is consolidated into the CHSP from 1 July, 2015.
As Australian Ageing Agenda has reported, the government has proposed that the new Home Support Program would only deliver basic respite and care services to older people living in the community and their carers.
Ms Morka said community clients with complex care needs such as those with late stage dementia would miss out if funding was only made available to basic-level respite.
“It would mean another burden on carers as well as impacting on us as an organisation in being able to provide these types of services,” Ms Morka told AAA. “The outcome is that people will be going into residential care more quickly than anticipated.”
She said the government’s recently released discussion paper had not sufficiently considered the implications for high-level respite care services currently funded through the NRCP.
“The proposed Home Support Program doesn’t seem to focus on carers anymore, it’s all about the care recipient and we’re concerned about that being a gap in what is proposed.”
Responding to questions from AAA, a spokesperson from the Department of Social Services said the new home support arrangements were not in any way proposing to reduce support for respite.
“We want the vital role that carers play in supporting older people to remain living in the community, as well as the provision of quality respite, to continue to be a strong focus of home support arrangements into the future, just as they are now.
“Funding under the Commonwealth Home Support Program will continue to grow over coming years, resulting in more services for more people, and in 2015-16 will provide an estimated $2 billion in services,” the spokesperson said.
The proposed Commonwealth Home Support Program will consolidate over 30 different service types that currently exist in the Commonwealth HACC Program, National Respite for Carers Program and Day Therapy Centre Program into just 15.
The department is currently seeking sector feedback on its CHSP discussion paper. Submissions can be made until June 30 via CHSP@dss.gov.au
