Home care service and program leaders are wanted to give their opinions on the challenges and opportunities for the industry this coming year.
Conducted by Enkindle Consulting, the Home Care Provider Outlook Survey 2024 is the second in the aged care specialist’s annual series.
The survey aims to help bring attention to home care reform, which is often overshadowed by residential aged care in terms of media attention and public discussion, said Enkindle Consulting director and founder and Jennene Buckley.
“We need to remind industry stakeholders that 80 per cent of older people receiving aged care are receiving home care and we need to ensure we support this part of the industry through the next stage of reform.
“To do this we need to understand their challenges and priorities,” Ms Buckley told Community Care Review.
There are over 1,500 home care specific organisations significantly impacted by the next wave of reform – which includes the new Aged Care Act, regulatory framework and Support At Home program, she said.
“The survey helps raise awareness of the challenges facing home care providers, their views on the reform, their readiness and the opportunities they see specifically in the year ahead.”
As previously, the survey asks providers about their greatest challenge for the year along with their workforce and technology concerns. New questions ask home care providers about:
- the impact of further delays to the Support at Home program on 2024 priorities
- the biggest risks related to Support at Home
- board and governance systems ahead of a new Aged Care Act from 1 July
- innovation in home care, including providers’ priorities.
Last year’s 380 responses indicated workforce shortages as the single biggest challenge facing the sector in 2023. Hoping to increase the number of participants, Ms Buckley is calling on all leaders – executives and governing directors – that operate home care programs to complete the survey, particularly those providing Commonwealth Home Support and Home Care Package services.
“There are 1,800 aged care providers nationally who deliver home care programs, [most of which] only deliver home care. We want the opportunity to provide their collected views on their specific challenges, their priorities and general views of the reform and their readiness, and broader strategic matters.”
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