Switching home care providers

The quiet secret of home care: you are not stuck. Under Support at Home your budget belongs to you, exit fees are banned, and providers know it. Families who switch, or credibly could, get better service and better prices.

Signs switching is worth it

• Care workers change constantly, or shifts are missed without notice.
• More of your budget is going to charges you do not understand than to actual hours of care.
• You cannot reach the care manager, or reviews of your care plan never happen.
• The provider's prices are noticeably higher than others servicing your suburb. With price caps deferred, this gap can be thousands of dollars a year.

What switching cannot cost you

Exit fees are banned. Your unspent budget moves with you. Your classification and assessment do not reset. The only real cost is the changeover admin, and the new provider has every incentive to handle that for you.

The steps

1. Shortlist two or three alternatives first. Compare prices and services for providers covering your suburb before you say anything to your current provider. Request a free shortlist if you want this done with you.
2. Agree a start date with the new provider. Get the services and prices in writing.
3. Then give notice to your current provider. Align the end date to the new start date so there is no gap in care.
4. Confirm the handover. Care plan, medication notes and equipment arrangements should transfer; ask both providers to confirm in writing.

If you feel awkward about it

Families often stay years too long with an underperforming provider out of politeness. Remember what the budget is for: hours of care for the person you love. A provider losing clients to better competitors is the system working exactly as designed.