Sunshine Coast has longest Home Care Package wait list in state

Long waits for Home Care packages in Queensland are putting more strain on the aged care industry which is already struggling with worker shortages.

THE Sunshine Coast has the longest waiting lists in the state for people for Home Care packages, which would keep them out of aged care homes, as the industry warns workforce shortages are still causing problems.

There are calls to slash waiting times – currently up to six months – to just 30 days between making an application and receiving a service, with warnings long waiting times contribute to higher mortality rates.

The number of Queenslanders has dropped significantly since June 30 last year, but there are still close to 10,000 people waiting for a package or a package at the level of need for which they have been approved.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells’ spokeswoman said the government was monitoring wait times and was already seeing improvements in attracting and retaining staff in the sector since it funded the $11 billion, 15 per cent wage rise.

Recent Home Care data showed there were 4224 Queenslanders waiting for a HCP as at March 31, 2023, down from 8398 Queenslanders in June 30, 2022. Of this, about one-in-five of those waiting, 766 people, were on the Sunshine Coast.

The next highest area was Brisbane South at 535 people waiting and Wide Bay at 458 people. On top of this, there are 5333 Queenslanders waiting for a package at their approved level. down from 10,370 people.

Council of the Ageing QLD CEO Darren Young said the number of people and time people were waiting for a package was still a concern.

Mr Young said the goal should be achieving no more than 30 days from a person making an application for a Home Care package to getting a service, while the current waiting time is three to six months.

“Prolonged wait times for Home Care Packages are associated with a higher risk of mortality as well as transition to permanent residential aged care,” he said.

Aged and Community Care Providers Association CEO Tom Symondson said he welcomed the increase in older Australians getting access to home care, as it would improve the lives of those people as well as reducing pressure on residential aged care.

Aged and Community Care Providers Association CEO Tom Symondson. Picture: Supplied

“Receiving a package is just the first hurdle. We know that it can still be challenging to get access to the services you need once you have received a package due to workforce shortages. The lack of workers is still having an impact,” Mr Symondson said.

Ms Wells’ spokeswoman said older Australians wanted to stay at home for longer and the government had spent $166.8 million in the May budget to fund an addition 9500 home care places to enable this.

“The Government continues to monitor wait times,” she said.

She said the $11.3 billion pay increase was already leading to improvements with attraction and retention rates for staff.

“We are also supporting a range of workforce initiatives to attract and retain aged care workers,” she said.

While the average time to receive a package is three to six months, cases deemed high priority can receive them within one month.

Mr Symondson said a higher number of people aged over 65 living on the Sunshine Coast was likely to be a contributing factor to the larger waiting list for the region.