Support at Home transition report by Australian National Audit Office

Published 22nd May 2026

The Australian National Audit Office has published a new report on the transiton from CHSP to Support at Home.

You can read a plain english summary of the report here: https://www.anao.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-05/Auditor-General_Report_2025-26_31_Report_at_a_glance.pdf

The full report is available here: https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/effectiveness-of-the-commonwealth-home-support-program

The report identifies that wait times for services continue to be a barrier, stating that "Forty-two per cent of CHSP clients surveyed by the ANAO did not consider waiting times to receive aged care services in their home to be reasonable, and 51 per cent stated that it was somewhat or very difficult to ‘receive aged care services in your home when you need them’".

It also concluded that there is a significant lack of understanding about which communities are at risk of falling through the gaps, and how future suplly and demand pressures will impact delivery of services. "There is limited engagement with providers about demand and supply pressures. ANAO research and other evidence suggests there are demand and supply pressures on the CHSP. For example, 49 per cent of CHSP providers responding to an ANAO survey agreed or strongly agreed that ‘CHSP meets my community’s demand for services’, while 38 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed; and 51 per cent of CHSP clients said that there was a time when they could not get an aged care service in their home or community that they needed, with the main barriers being ‘local providers of that service were not available’ and ‘local provider not accepting new clients’." This appears to be part of a broader issue "there is no robust planning framework for the CHSP". 

The Auduitor General made the following reccomendations:

1)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing implement appropriate measurement and monitoring of demand and supply pressures to support advice, decision-making, and planning for the Commonwealth Home Support Program, including as it transitions to the Support at Home program."

2)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing ensure compliance with the Aged Care Act 2024 by accurately quantifying the total number of unregistered clients, establishing a plan to ensure all Commonwealth Home Support Program clients have an aged care assessment, and setting a date for when this work is to be completed."

3)

"To help determine whether Commonwealth Home Support Program services are being provided to people when they are needed and to inform program planning for the Support at Home program, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing establish monitoring arrangements and benchmarks that allow it to assess and report on the timeliness of Commonwealth Home Support Program service delivery across the entire journey from first contact to service receipt."

4)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing develop a stakeholder engagement plan for the Commonwealth Home Support Program that:

1. identifies stakeholders, engagement objectives and methods;
2. considers approaches to ensure successful engagement with diverse audiences;
3. includes direct engagement with participants, their families and carers;
4. considers higher levels of engagement (involve, collaborate and empower);
5. incorporates ongoing review and evaluation of engagement activities; and
6. includes the transition to the Support at Home program."

5)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing establish a risk-based Commonwealth Home Support Program assurance framework to support the monitoring of quality service delivery and continuous improvement, including as the Commonwealth Home Support Program transitions to the Support at Home program."

6)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing work with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and Department of Social Services to identify and respond to gaps in assigned assurance roles and responsibilities for the ongoing administration of the Commonwealth Home Support Program and its transition to Support at Home."

7)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing undertake risk-based assurance activities that provide confidence to decision makers that the Commonwealth Home Support Program is being managed within expectations and in accordance with legal and policy frameworks, including in relation to service delivery quality."

8)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing establish performance measures for the Commonwealth Home Support Program that facilitate monitoring of service delivery and public transparency over whether the program is efficiently meeting its objectives."

9)

"The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing establish an evaluation plan for the Commonwealth Home Support Program and evaluate the extent to which the Commonwealth Home Support Program objectives are being met, to inform the Commonwealth Home Support Program’s transition to the Support at Home program."

With the conclusion of the transition from CHSP to Support at Home expected during 2027, it remains to be seen if or how the various issues identified in the report, as well as those currently being investigated in the Senate Inquiries will be addressed.

Source:
Australian National Audit Office, 2026, https://www.anao.gov.au/ (https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/effectiveness-of-the-commonwealth-home-support-program)