The effect of home care package allocation reforms on service uptake, use and cessation at a large Australian aged care provider

Objective: To utilise routinely collected data to examine changes in the client profile of a large aged care provider before and after commencement of the 2017 policy reforms, whereby home care packages were allocated to individuals rather than providers. Methods: Interrupted time series analysis was used to measure changes in service uptake and cessation. Chi-square and t tests were used to compare client profiles in the 12 months before and after policy changes. Results: A total of 4132 people used home care services with the provider between March 2016 and March 2018. Fewer people commenced services post-reforms, and they were more likely to be younger and have a partner. There was no change in the number choosing to terminate services post-reforms. Conclusion: Vulnerable older Australians may experience greater difficulty accessing services under the new system, suggesting greater scrutiny of the reforms in achieving policy objectives is required. Analyses of routinely collected data sets can support this evaluation process