A care partner will regularly check-in on more complex clients, providing assistance with arranging services and assessments.​

When something goes wrong, like a fall or an informal carer getting sick, care partners will be able to help, and providers will have extra funds to temporarily top up their clients’ services.  ​

The proposed Care management model​:

• More complex clients (equivalent to an HCP L3/4 client today) will have funding for a care partner assigned in their support plan at assessment.​

• Care partners will have a clinical focus – they may be clinicians or part of a team with clinical oversight.​

• They will check in with the client each month to ensure they are doing well and to discuss whether any changes are needed to services. This check-in will be billed against client budgets.​

• Care partners will be able to assist if changes are required, including engaging with the provider(s).​

• Where care workers raise any red flags about a client (like observing weight loss or an empty fridge) these will be raised with the care partner.​

• When needed care partners will be able to increase support for their clients, billed against a global funding pool for their organisation.​

• While lower-needs clients will not have a dedicated care partner, there will be options to access care management support that can also be billed against the global pool.​

• Providers delivering care management support will be paid at an hourly rate in arrears.​

• Arrangements will be clear on the definition of care management versus normal administrative tasks (like scheduling) that are covered by prices.​