The Support at Home (SaH) program will replace the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme from 1 November 2025. Pricing is an integral basis of the SaH reforms with the transition to 8 funding levels including a higher funding of $78,000 pa. As part of this transition, legislative changes have removed the package management fee and reduced the cap on care management fees to 10%. These changes are driving significant pricing, financial and operational adjustments for service providers across the sector.

To maintain viability under the new framework, providers are increasingly seeking to recover at least part of the previous package and care management fees through direct service pricing. This shift is contributing to a systematic price increase across the sector, with organisations re-evaluating their pricing models in real time.

An increasing number of merger and acquisition activity is a strong indicator that home care providers have structural and financial issues. The presentation will provide a commentary on whether increasing capacity through acquisition should be a key strategy.

This presentation will explore the financial impacts of the Support at Home reforms, with specific reference to the implications of pricing fee structure, cost recovery, and long-term sustainability. In addition, the session will discuss the role of productivity and workforce utilisation as critical enablers of sustainability. As pricing becomes more constrained, providers will need to drive efficiency while continuing to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.

An analysis of the required rate of return for a home care provider to be investable will form a key part of the presentation. Through financial analysis and sector insights, this session will provide a practical look at the challenges and opportunities providers face in adapting to the Support at Home reform.