Government warned of home care waitlist blowouts

Older Australians are staring down longer wait times for basic support to help them live independently over the next six months.

An extra 24,100 home care packages are being allocated to people this financial year under a $531m federal government investment.

But new documents reveal that Labor was warned wait times for approved low-level packages would blowout from one week to six months come June 2025, in order to reduce the wait for people requiring higher levels of support.

Demand for services – such as showers, cleaning, meals and gardening – to help older Australians stay out of nursing homes is growing faster than packages can be released with about 80,000 people on the waitlist.

The substantial backlog is of significant concern to aged care advocates, who say people shouldn’t have to wait longer than a month for all packages, with need projected to grow 13 per cent in 2024-25.

Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said the government promised to put the “care back into aged care” but were failing where it counts.

“Rather than reducing the wait for all older Australia’s needing support to stay at home, Labor’s solution is to massively increase the wait time for some in order to achieve a modest reduction for others,” Senator Ruston said.

“Wait lists are being intentionally blown out, at the same time as the sector is dealing with a serious workforce crisis.

“It’s time they start providing real support to older Australians needing care, including additional home care packages and solutions to the ongoing workforce crisis.”

Health department documents analysing the government’s approach to home care packages in May show people approved for a level one package would be expected to wait about two months in December, four months in March and six months come June next year.

While those seeking a level three package, who would face a seven and a half month wait in December, would have their wait time cut to about six months by June.

The wait time across all packages next year is expected to rise from about five months to six months.

However, people approved as a high priority for urgent care are typically assigned a package within a month.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said the number of Australians in home care had increased fourfold over the past decade, which was why the Albanese government was investing $4.3bn in the new Support at Home system.

“These reforms will mean shorter average wait times from assessment to receiving support with a target of 3 months by July 2027,” Minister Wells said.

But Council on the Ageing chief Patricia Sparrow said people shouldn’t have to wait for more than 30 days to receive the support at home they need and deserve.

“Without support we know that people can end up going into residential aged care before they need to and when they don’t want to,” she said.

“In the worst cases people will die waiting for support that doesn’t come.”

In 2023-24, more than 3380 people died while waiting for a package.

The federal government will seek to pass its crucial aged care reforms this fortnight before parliament concludes for the year.

The new Support at Home program will replace home care packages from July 2025.