Aged care has sat in the too-hard basket at a three-physio practice in Geelong for twelve months. The NDIS caseload is lumpy, private clients drop off over winter, and registering as an aged care provider never reaches the top of the list. Then a self-managing Support at Home client asks about home visits.
This example is illustrative, created to show how the local partner model works in practice.
Since Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, allied health has sat on the funded service list.
Clinical supports are fully funded
The Support at Home service list has three categories: clinical supports, independence supports and everyday living supports. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry and other allied health sit in the clinical category, which is fully government funded with no client contribution.
That matters commercially. When a client pays nothing out of pocket, the friction on referrals disappears. If the service is in the care plan, it happens.
A steady caseload alongside NDIS and private work
Demand for in-home allied health is structural, not cyclical: Australia's ageing population and government policy both favour care delivered at home. Support at Home clients also need ongoing programs (falls prevention, mobility maintenance, post-hospital reablement) reviewed quarter after quarter, in line with the scheme's quarterly budgets.
Registering yourself vs working through a registered provider
Under the new Aged Care Act and strengthened Quality Standards (both commenced 1 November 2025), providers must be registered with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in the relevant registration categories, and registered providers carry the compliance and audit obligations.
For most practices that's a heavy lift for a handful of clients. The alternative is the local partner model, with Partner with Care as the registered backbone: no registration queue, no audit risk on your practice. See how it works at become a partner.
Self-management works in your favour. Support at Home clients who self-manage choose their own workers, so a practice with a strong local reputation gets chosen by name rather than waiting on a provider's rostering team.
Mobile and home-visit models fit naturally
Support at Home is care delivered where the client lives. Practices already running mobile services can plug aged care clients into existing rounds; clinic-based practices often start with one home-visit day a week. The clinical work stays yours (assessment, treatment, notes, outcomes) while the funding administration runs through the partnership.
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