the Aged Care Today magazine featured articles

For the first time, we also convened a sector-wide forum, bringing together aged care providers, software vendors and senior representatives from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the Department) and Services Australia for an open and constructive discussion about current and future ICT challenges in the Support at Home program.

This session marked the first truly interactive opportunity for all key stakeholders to address the technical realities of the transition in a shared space. Participants reflected on what has worked, what has not, and, importantly, identified practical ways to improve systems and processes.

Issues with planning, reporting and claiming systems remain widespread, with many organisations experiencing similar pressures. While the Department and Services Australia have established multiple communication forums, a lack of coordination and visibility has led to duplicated effort and frequent misunderstandings across the sector.

Providers and vendors highlighted persistent challenges. System fragmentation remains a critical issue, with many organisations relying on multiple, non-integrated platforms. This has led to heavy reliance on manual workarounds, particularly for reporting requirements such as 15-minute service increments. As a result, administrative burden is high, with some providers reporting costs exceeding the 10 per cent care management allowance, placing pressure on financial sustainability.

A strong consensus emerged across all groups. Stakeholders agreed that the same challenges are being experienced sector-wide and that inefficiencies are being compounded by duplicated effort and limited shared visibility of issues and solutions. Importantly, there was recognition that the greatest burden lies not in policy intent, but in the complexity of implementation. Successful reform, it was agreed, depends on aligning workforce capability, operational processes and digital infrastructure – rather than addressing these as separate streams of work.

To address these issues, stakeholders identified several priorities. Improving transparency and shared visibility is essential, including the creation of joint issue registers and clearer guidance on critical reporting requirements. Simplifying administrative processes – such as streamlining care plans, enabling automated claim adjustments and reducing unnecessary documentation – would allow providers to focus more on care delivery.

Finally, strengthening communication across the sector is vital. This includes establishing a single source of truth, standardising outputs such as FAQs and webinar summaries, and tailoring engagement to different provider needs. Better communication with consumers is equally important, ensuring consistent messaging and improving visibility of funding and statements.

While challenges remain, the sector’s willingness to collaborate offers a strong foundation for improvement. By working together, providers, vendors and government can achieve a more coordinated, transparent and sustainable Support at Home system – ultimately delivering better outcomes for older Australians. Ageing Australia has committed to facilitating similar forums in the future to maintain this collaborative momentum.