An open letter from our CEO Enda Fahy regarding Support at Home
An open letter from our CEO Enda Fahy regarding the delay to the Aged Care Act 2024 and the Support at Home Program to 1 November 2025
Today Southcare welcomes the news that the Aged Care Act 2024 and the Support at Home program has been delayed from 1 July to 1 November 2025.
While delays are never ideal, Southcare supports this news and views it as an opportunity to ensure that when the program does commence and the new Act takes effect, it will be executed with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness.
Delaying the Act and the program from 1 July to 1 November means our Southcare Stars will have more time to learn about what the changes mean and how they will be supported under this rights-based system, and anything that supports our seniors is a positive outcome.
Indeed, the delay means the entire sector will be better equipped to deliver on the program.
Southcare has worked diligently over the last two years to be ready for this program, and we were actively preparing for the transition on 1 July 2025, thanks to delivering on several proactive steps:
- Staff training and development – All of our team are equipped with knowledge and prepared to deliver care aligned with new standards, following robust and mandatory training on the strengthened quality standards and upskilling as needed
- Operating upgrades – we updated our internal operating systems to support the data-sharing, rostering, customer needs and payment processing requirements of the program so that we can continue to deliver efficient care to more people
- Service realignment – We reviewed and adjusted services to align with the new service categories list to suit care participant needs
- Additional resources – We appointed clinical care and quality specialists to our Board and management team to ensure greater governance and transparency in decision making and alignment with the new Act and standards
- Care participant communication – we always seek to provide clear and regular updates to our care participants and this transition period has been no different. We worked hard to ensure our care participants are educated and feel supported so there is clear understanding, a smooth transition and continuity of care
- Ongoing consultation – we set up the Caring Hands Advisory Group and the Quality Care Advisory Committee as part of our planning and these still exist today, meeting regularly to discuss best practice. These groups are made up of care participants, suppliers and staff and they meet to discuss the program and share lived experience. We are confident that through their input we are helping to educate our care participants in the best possible way and that we are compliant with the Government guidelines.
I know that the collective efforts of our team has not been wasted. Indeed, delaying the Act and program to 1 November presents us the chance to use our caring hands to build an even better Southcare and I am excited to lead that as we embrace the next phase of transition.
Our Support at Home information hub remains active and has been updated to reflect the changes announced today and I encourage you to visit that to stay up to date and also reach out if you need support.
You can read the Minister’s open letters announced today below.