HOME CARE PACKAGES INFORMATION BOOKLET Consumer Directed Care To be read in conjunction with the Home Care Agreement
TABLE OF CONTENTS Prahran Mission Home Care Package... 3 Budget & Statement, Fees... 4 Payment Options, Types of Services... 5 Care & Service Plans... 6 Contact, Care Services... 7 Leave... 8 Work Health & Safety, Advocacy, Privacy.. 9 Consent, Forms... 10 Service Standards, Complaints... 11 How to Contact Us... 12 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 2
PRAHRAN MISSION HOME CARE PACKAGE Prahran Mission is an agency of the Uniting Church and an Approved Provider of Home Care Packages under the Aged Care Act 1997. Prahran Mission has over 20 years experience in managing and coordinating quality comprehensive care to older people in their homes in the Inner South metropolitan area. To access a Home Care Package you must be formally assessed as eligible by the Aged Care Assessment Service. WHAT IS A HOME CARE PACKAGE? A Package is a term used to describe services and support which can help you to continue living as independently as you can at home and to continue your connections to your local community. The Australian Government provides a funded amount (subsidy) to Approved Home Care Package providers on your behalf. The subsidy, together with your fees will become your income for the package. From July 2015 all Home Care Packages are to be delivered on a consumer directed basis. Choice and transparency are the key principles and you will be given a monthly statement, which will detail how your funds are spent. You will also be able to have a say as to how and when your services are delivered. Your Care Advisor can assist you to source and purchase the best available options to balance your needs and your budget. Your Care Advisor will document the services you choose, who will provide the service and when, into a weekly service plan. Over time, you may wish to coordinate your own services and manage your own budget directly. You can discuss this with your care advisor at any time. It is a good idea to take some time to get used to how things can work. You can then decide how much involvement you 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 3
would like to have in managing your services. BUDGET & STATEMENT Prahran Mission will manage the funds on your behalf and ensure that you have a monthly statement of income and expenditure. The statement will show: Income: The amount of funding received from the government (home care subsidy) Any amount you must pay due to income testing (non pensioners) Any supplement to which you are entitled Care fees you pay *To estimate the contribution you may need to pay, go to the Home Care Fee Estimator at www.myagedcare.gov.au Expenditure: Amount charged by us for administration Amount charged by us for core advisory/case management Costs for direct care services Your statement will be sent to you monthly & any unspent funds will be rolled over to the next month. You are entitled to use accumulated funds to purchase allowable additional services or equipment if required. Your care advisor will work with you to ensure that your budget works in the best way for you. FEES Fees are determined by the conditions set out by the Commonwealth Government relating to Home Care Packages & are based on income. Centrelink will assess your financial information and will send you a letter informing you of any co-contribution if required. Prahran Mission will also take into account your individual circumstances and capacity to pay in establishing your basic care fee. 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 4
Prahran Mission will review and adjust your basic care fee in March and September in line with the pension adjustment. PAYMENT OPTIONS Please note: All fees are calculated at a daily rate according to government guidelines. Fees are to be paid monthly via direct debit or Centrepay facility. No fees will be taken by staff. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FEES & CHARGES Further information and tools to assist you to estimate your fees are available on the My Aged Care website http://www.myagedcare.gov.au There are a range of supports and services available to meet your needs. Prahran Mission currently has in place service agreements with a number of services from which you can choose. Because of the legislative requirements and regulations relating to service provider agreements an additional fee may be incurred if a different service provider were preferred. TYPES OF SERVICES AVAILABLE The level of package will determine the extent of services. Some of the general options, which may be provided as part of the Level 2 package, include: Personal care showering, dressing, grooming Home help house cleaning, laundry and shopping Meal preparation including help with special diets & aids Transport and escorts to appointments and community activities Social & emotional support community/home support and appropriate referral Respite care assistance with accessing residential or at home respite for carers Home safety assistance to keep you safe and secure in and around your home, including mobility assistance 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 5
Access to allied heath, nursing and respite care Advocacy, interpreter service to ensure your needs can be understood Other services can be provided as negotiated within the resources and budget of the package or purchased privately Access to after hours respite service The following items are excluded and cannot be provided by any package funding: Use of package funds as a source of general income Payment of home care fees or fees for other types of government funded care Purchase of food, including delivered meals except for enteral feeding Payment for permanent accommodation, including mortgage, rent or purchase of a home Home & garden modifications or capital items not related to care needs Travel & accommodation for holidays Payment for services & items covered by Medicare or Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Gambling Illegal activities CARE & SERVICE PLANS Care Plan A care plan will be documented by your care advisor. It will be developed in partnership with you and will reflect what you would like to achieve (your goals and aspirations) via the package. The care plan will focus on what you can do rather than what you can t and build on your strengths to maintain and improve your health & wellbeing. 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 6
Your care advisor can assist you to select the best mix and range of services to balance your needs and the allowable budget of the package. You will receive a copy of the agreed care plan within 14 days of signing your agreement. The care plan may change over time according to your needs and goals. A formal review and reassessment will occur at least annually. You are able to have your family/carers or other representatives of your choice involved in the development and review of your care plan. If conditions change & you require a higher (or lower) level of support, we will assist with referrals to alternative services. Service plan A proposed service plan will be developed when you sign an agreement with us. This will list the support and services that you have identified will initially be part of your package. These services will be what you will see on your monthly statement. You may decide to purchase additional services outside of the package with your own funds to achieve your goals. CONTACT You can contact your Care Advisor by phone during office hours on 9692 9433 if you wish to discuss matters relating to your care. You can also leave a message after hours on this number if you want to let us know about any service changes. If you require urgent respite services after hours contact Alfred Health Carer Services who manage our after hours service. 1800 052 222 or 96929444. CARE SERVICES AND CARE WORKERS Your Care Advisor will assist you to match your care worker to your specific identified needs. You may prefer to choose a male or a female worker, a worker who speaks your language, or has a similar cultural background. 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 7
Cancellation of care shifts Please note that Care agencies require payment for shifts cancelled at short notice and this will apply to your budget, so please ensure 24 hours notice for any cancelled shifts. LEAVE FROM THE PACKAGE You may be absent from home for a number of reasons while you are in receipt of a package; such as going to hospital, going on a holiday or going into residential care for respite. Please advise your Care Advisor if you are planning to be away from home for any length of time as this may mean an adjustment to your budget. These circumstances can affect the subsidy paid and also your fees: If you need to go into hospital or into transitional care for more than 28 consecutive days, your subsidy will be reduced to 25% for each day over 28 days. If you go into respite or have a holiday for more than 28 cumulative days in a financial year your subsidy will also be reduced to 25%. Please note You will still be required to pay your fees whilst in hospital and on social leave unless otherwise negotiated. You are not required to pay fees when you are on leave for respite or transitional care. If you are in hospital, your Care Advisor can liaise with hospital staff and ensure your return home is planned appropriately with consideration to the support you need for recuperation. 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 8
WORK HEALTH & SAFETY Initial Home Safety Checks To ensure that our staff and care workers are working in a safe environment, we conduct a Home Safety Check. If we identify any areas of risk, we will assist you to address these. We ask that there is adequate lighting, ventilation & workspace free of clutter to allow care workers to undertake their tasks. The care agency will inform you of any other specific requirements regarding their workers. Smoking Prahran Mission has a no smoking policy for staff. Prahran Mission staff and any care staff working on behalf of Prahran Mission are not allowed to smoke in your home. To protect our staff and workers against passive smoking we are also obliged to ask that if you smoke, that you do not smoke in the vicinity of the worker whilst they are in your home. ADVOCACY You have the right to use an advocate to act on your behalf to represent your interests and to assist you with decision-making and choice. Your care advisor can assist you to access advocacy services. PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY Your personal information will be managed in a way that complies with the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), the Federal Privacy Act 1988 & the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic). This enables: The collection & distribution of your information with your consent; That your records are kept securely stored; You to receive a service in privacy; 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 9
All identifying personal information to be kept confidential within Prahran Mission. CONSENT Your Care Advisor will seek your written or verbal permission to gain or release information to any other person or agency. Generally, information is released to assist us in collaborating with other services so that your service is being delivered in a coordinated manner. Your information will only be used for the purpose for which it was collected. There are some exceptions to this, such as for medical emergencies & court proceedings. In these exceptional circumstances, staff will advise you of the release of information, where possible. ACCESS TO RECORDS You have the right to access your file. Procedures for this may be discussed upon request. You have the right to correct any inaccurate information where appropriate. FORMS YOU WILL BE ASKED TO SIGN: Home Care Agreement & payment methods form Consent forms (verbal consent is also acceptable) Care Plan (verbal consent is also acceptable) QUALITY Our service is reviewed regularly to ensure that we provide a high standard of care. We encourage you to provide feedback to Prahran Mission at any time regarding our service to you. 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 10
Service Standards The Commonwealth Government has minimum standards, which we are committed to meet in delivering services to you. These are called the Home Care Standards. There are three overall standards covering a range of expected outcomes under each standard Standard 1: Effective Management The service provider demonstrates effective management processes based on a continuous improvement approach to service management, planning and delivery. Standard 2: Appropriate Access and Service Delivery Each service user (and prospective service user) has access to appropriate services that are planned, delivered and evaluated in partnership with themselves and/or their representative. Standard 3: Service User Rights and Responsibilities Each service user (and/or their representative) is provided with information to assist them to make service choices and has the right (and responsibility) to be consulted and respected. Service users (and/or their representative) have access to complaints and advocacy information and processes and their privacy and confidentiality and right to independence is to be respected. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT You have the right to make a complaint regarding a staff member or any other issue relating to the package without fear of reprisal & to have that complaint resolved confidentially and in a timely manner. Information on the process for feedback and complaints is provided when you accept the package. 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 11
HOW TO CONTACT US Phone: (03) 9692 9433 Fax: (03) 9500 2155 Email: Website: cacp@prahranmission.org.au www.prahranmission.org.au Mail: Home Care Packages 86A Kooyong Rd Armadale, Victoria 3143 PO Box 68 Prahran, Victoria 3181 Office Hours: Monday Friday 9.00 am 5.00 pm (Closed weekends and public holidays) All emergencies: 000 After Hours: (03) 9692 9444 or 1800 052 222 Alfred Health Carer Services. If you require urgent carer respite or to inform us of admission to hospital. Fees & payment enquiries ONLY: Business hours: (03) 9692 9500 14-Apr-15/ Manager HCP Page 12