Commencing Services 

What is Home and Community Care?

Government funded home care packages (care and services) to support you to live your best life at home, and within your community.

Eligibility

You will need to be assessed by a government assessor to receive a funded home care package. 

Generally, you must be 65 years of age to be eligible.

Accessing your Home Care Package 

You will receive a letter from the government approving your home care package however you will need to wait to be ‘assigned’ a package before we can offer you government funded services.  

When we access your government assessment, we will review the information to ensure we can offer you the care and service you need and meet your preferences. 

Before you Commence Services

Our friendly Home Care Manager will attend your home to ask initial important information about you and answer your questions. We will also complete a safety inspection of the home (where services will take place in the home). We recommend you allow about two hours of time for this meeting. 

We will ask you to supply us with the documentation we need. This will include: 

• National Screening Assessment Form (ACAT Assessment) 
• Completed Pre-admission form
• Copy: Income and Asset Assessment letter
• Copy: Medicare, pension, safety net, DVA, diabetic and private medical insurance cards (as applicable)
• Copy: Power of Attorney/Guardianship Documents
• Completed Client Agreement
• Completed Privacy Agreement
• Completed Direct Debit Request 

Where you require medication support, we will also request:

• Medication Chart or list of medications from the hospital doctor or your GP.
• Completed Medical History from your GP. 
• Webster Pack and non-packed medications.

Before commencing services, we will:

• Offer you a Client Service Agreement.
• Provide the Charter of Rights and explain your responsibilities towards us.
• Explain the fees and government subsidies process. 
• Explain the process for monthly statements and individual budget. 
• Conduct any initial assessments. 
• Discuss your care and services plan and offer you an initial plan to read and approve.  
• Ask you for a copy of your Advanced Care Plan, (where you have a plan in place). 
• Discuss and document the persons who will be involved in your service.  
• Introduce you to the worker providing services.

Standards and Quality Review for Home Care

St Sergius operates in keeping with the Aged Care Act 1997, Aged Care Principles and Aged Care Quality Standards.

We also abide by the Charter of Aged Care Rights (provided to you in your preferred language).  Each client has the following rights

1. Safe and high-quality care and services.
2. Be treated with dignity and respect.
3. Have my identity, culture and diversity valued and supported.
4. Live without abuse and neglect.
5. Be informed about my care and services in a way I understand.
6. Access all information about myself, including information about my rights, care, and services.
7. Have control over, and make choices about, my care, personal and social life, including where choices involve personal risk.
8. Have control over, and to make decisions about, the personal aspects of my daily life, financial affairs, and possessions.
9. My independence.
10. Be listened to and understood.
11. Have a person of my choice, including an aged care advocate, support me or speak on my behalf.
12. Complain free from reprisal, and to have my complaints dealt with fairly and promptly.
13. Personal privacy and to have my personal information protected.
14. Exercise my rights without it adversely affecting the way I am treated.

St Sergius regularly reviews its processes and procedures and works with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the aged care regulator) when it conducts audits of our services. As a result of quality reviews, we continually improve our processes and procedures. We also conduct education and training sessions with our workforce on an ongoing basis.