Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed the Government will immediately roll out another 6,105 Home Care Packages (HCPs) to older Australians as many are forced back into self-isolation thanks to the Victorian lockdowns – but none of the new packages will be allocated to the highest Level 4.

In making the announcement, the PM emphasised his Government’s investment in home care, noting the 10,000 new places in response to the Royal Commission’s Interim Report announced last November and the 50,000 new places – at a cost of $3 billion – announced since the 2018/19 Budget in May 2018, over two years ago.

However, the new HCPs will be evenly divided between Level 1, 2 and 3 packages unlike last November’s release which included 3,000 Level 4 packages across 2019-20 and 2020-21.

COTA Chief Executive Ian Yates has already declared the new packages to be well short of what is needed by the Government’s own standard. He wants a maximum two-month wait time after assessment.

“It’s still unacceptable that people can wait for over a year for high care at home after they have been assessed as needing it,” he said.

According to the latest data report on HCPs, 104,000 were on the waiting list for their approved HCP as of 31 December 2019 – over 21,000 waiting for a Level 4.

Of the 104,000, only 2.1% (around 2,185 people) didn’t have a lower-level package or access to CHSP services.

This data does also not take into account the estimated 15% to 30% of home care clients reported to us who put their services on hold during the pandemic and have seen a corresponding decline in their health.

How many of those who were sitting on Level 1, 2 or 3 packages have since had their GP, social worker or provider recommend they move to a Level 4?

One of the most shocking media headlines to come out of the Royal Commission was the revelation that 16,000 older Australians died in one year on the home care prioritisation queue.

Has the Government asked how many may die waiting this year?