A recurring complaint of the home care system is its complexity and the difficulty older people and their families have in comparing the type and cost of services offered by providers.
The need to increase transparency and information on home care prices was raised by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety prompting the government to start publishing median prices charged for common home care services on a special page on the Health Department's website.
The data table shows median prices for services including nursing, in-home respite, personal care, and cleaning and household tasks; and pricing data for care management and package management across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas and by state and territory.
"We want senior Australians to be able to shop around for their care providers, knowing this will keep downward pressure on prices," said Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Minister, Richard Colbeck.
"As part of the early announcement in response to the Royal Commission's report on March 1, the Government included significant steps to improve transparency and comparability of pricing, and empower senior Australians with greater choice when it comes to their care."
We expect this information in the hands of senior Australians will encourage providers to enhance their service offerings, while also helping to put downward pressure on unjustified charges, in particular administration charges.
- Richard Colbeck
The information is compiled from the compulsory information home care providers are required to provide to the government.
"Since July 1, 2019, all home care providers are required to publish their pricing information in a standardised schedule published on the My Aged Care website, said Mr Colbeck. "This new data table gives greater visibility of median prices.
"We expect this information in the hands of senior Australians will encourage providers to enhance their service offerings, while also helping to put downward pressure on unjustified charges, in particular administration charges."
The data is updated quarterly and can be found here.