- Private care providers report families abandoning government-subsidised home care due to delays, rising costs and inconsistent service
- New aged care reforms will cap administration fees at 10%, causing government-funded providers to raise hourly rates to $90-100+
- Government-funded care averages only 11 hours per week at the highest level, compared to 50 hours for private care clients
- Private care providers like Acquaint offer more reliable, flexible and consistent service, starting from 3 hours weekly
- Private care adoption helps reduce pressure on the public system while providing better quality support for those who can afford it
With just days until the aged care reforms begin, private care providers say many families are already walking away from government-subsidised home care.
The reason? Long delays, rising personal contributions, and inconsistent service have pushed many to conclude that private care is a better, more reliable option.
“They’ve qualified, they’ve waited, and they’re still expected to pay thousands out of pocket,” says Fiona Somerville, Managing Director of Melbourne-based private home care service Acquaint. “At that point, a lot of families are saying, let’s just go private and do this properly.”
Somerville says the reforms have already led to greater interest in premium in-home care, particularly from families who want better quality, reliable, full-time support. Acquaint’s private clients average around 50 hours of care per week, compared to an industry average of just 5 hours in the government system. That said, services with Acquaint can commence from as little as 3 hours a week.
“Our model isn’t about topping up a few hours, it’s about providing real care, with consistency, trust and flexibility built in,” she says.
Importantly, the private clients Acquaint supports help to free up a government-funded package for someone who needs it most. “We’re not replacing the public system, we’re helping take pressure off it.”
The upcoming reforms are set to cap administration fees, and in response, most government-funded providers are raising their hourly rates for many services. And when income-assessed contributions are added to the mix, private in-home care becomes a more suitable option.
“With admin fees set to be capped at 10 per cent of the package value under the new reforms (down from 35 per cent), we're seeing government-funded providers starting to lift their prices to around $90-100+ per hour for carers,” she explains.
Obviously, these price increases will result in fewer hours of direct care under a home care package as the funded amount is capped at each level.
Inconsistent care, short and variable time frames for service delivery and frequent no-shows are another major complaint from families navigating government-subsidised options.
Another concern for many is that the reforms will still not deliver enough care hours to keep older Australians safely at home. Currently, the average number of hours of direct care per week under a home care package nationally is around 11 hours for the highest level assigned. That’s clearly not enough to keep someone at home for long.
“Families don’t want residential care, but the government-funded system just can’t meet their needs at home. Private care is becoming the option that makes sense,” Somerville says
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About us:
Fiona Somerville is the Managing Director of Acquaint, a Melbourne-based private home care service providing expert relationship-based, high-touch in-home support.
Contact details:
Julie McBeth
Niche Nova Media
0418 992 485
