Russell Bricknell (pictured left), CEO of WA Not For Profit aged care provider Juniper, has shared with The SOURCE the experience of his father-in-law, who is living with advanced dementia, waiting more than 12 months for an aged care assessment and Home Care Package.
During that time, he was admitted to hospital multiple times - "all of which were avoidable had he received the care he needed at the time he needed it," Russell said.
"It is sad that as a country we accept the 81,000 people waiting without support is the right thing to do for older people," he said.
In June 2019, there were 120,000 people waiting for a Home Care Package at their approved level of care. That had fallen to about 30,000 by March 2023. But figures released in February, the latest available, show there were more than 81,000 waiting as of 31 January 2025.
Sarah Newman (pictured right), Chief Operating Officer Home Care, BaptistCare at home, said she has observed "a very considerable slow down" in the number of Home Care Packages being allocated since July 2024 and a "blow out" in the numbers waiting for home care at their assessed level of need.
As a result, providers are delivering care management unfunded.
"Providers are currently maintaining people with complex needs on low level packages or ‘entry level’ CHSP and providing them with considerable unfunded care management simply to meet the need," she said.
"The whole sector has been crying out again for the last nine months, desperate for people to receive the level of care they have been assessed as requiring.
The longest wait times are for Levels 3 and 4 Packages.
A spokesperson for Silverchain, one of Australia's largest home care providers, said tens of thousands will miss out on care they need "if the funding and wait times do not keep pace with demand".
All three operators say the problem is being made worse by long wait times for assessments of up to six months or longer in some areas.
Support at Home will extend waiting list
Sarah also predicts wait times will blow out further over the transition period to Support at Home.
"Due to the significant time required to work through the changes with each client, sign new agreements and set up new care plans, we are anticipating this transition period will be difficult for providers to onboard people into Home Care Packages and then immediately transition them to Support at Home so waiting lists will further lengthen," she said.
"The sector is sitting in hope of a significant provision of additional funding from 1 July to ease the considerable backlog, and reduce the inappropriate load on the CHSP program."
A bipartisan approach needed
Silverchain is also seeking a bipartisan commitment to creating reasonable waiting times for Support at Home assessments and package funding.
"People must have equitable access and timely care to effectively manage the real risk of health deterioration while they wait for care in the home," the spokesperson said.
