New single assessment system for aged care

From 1 July 2025, major changes to both home care and residential aged care will commence. 

However, some reforms to the aged care system have already been implemented, including a change to a new ‘Single Assessment System’ which replaced the previous assessment system when determining an older persons care needs.  

The previous system included the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT), Regional Assessors and AN-ACC assessors.

Why has the previous system been replaced?

In 2021, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommended the previous assessment system be replaced by a new Single Assessment System when assessing an older person’s aged care needs.

Under the previous system, there were 3 different organisations:

·       Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT)¹ which provided comprehensive assessments to determine eligibility for Home Care Packages, residential respite care and residential aged care

·       Regional Assessment Service (RAS) which conducted assessments for people with lower care needs for the Commonwealth Home Support Program

·       AN-ACC² assessors which assessed residents after entering residential aged care to determine the level of Government funding based on care needs

The Royal Commission found that this system often led to duplication and inconsistencies and required older people to navigate multiple assessment organisations as their needs changed.

Single Assessment System

From 9 December 2024, the introduction of the Single Assessment System aims to streamline care needs assessments by consolidating these various assessment organisations into a unified system.

The new Single Assessment System aims to streamline the care needs assessment system by:

·       Providing a single assessment pathway, eliminating the need to switch providers as needs change.

·       Ensuring older people only need to tell their story once.

·       Guaranteeing access to assessments in regional, remote, and rural areas.

·       Reducing wait times for aged care assessments.

Under the new Single Assessment System, all organisations conducting aged care assessments can perform:

·       Home support assessments for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)

·       Comprehensive assessments for the Home Care Packages Program, flexible aged care programs, residential respite, and entry into residential aged care.

Some organisations also conduct residential aged care funding assessments to determine an older person's AN-ACC classification after settling into residential care.

Starting 1 July 2025, First Nations assessment organisations will connect older First Nations people with appropriate services.

Changes to the Assessment Process

·       Within two weeks of receiving a request for an aged care needs assessment, a Triage Delegate will contact the older person and assess whether they need urgent care, have lower care needs or more complex needs.

·       A more comprehensive needs assessment is then undertaken

·       The system is designed to be flexible, supporting older people with the same organisation even if their needs change.

What Remains Unchanged

·       Older people continue to contact My Aged Care (www.myagedcare.gov.au or 1800 200 422) to initiate an assessment if their care needs change

·       Aged care needs assessments continue to be conducted in person, either at home or in hospital if necessary.

·       Residential aged care funding assessments are still performed after an older person has settled into residential care.

For more information, see Single Assessment Factsheet from the Department of Health and Aged Care.

[1] Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) in Victoria

[2] Australian National Aged Care Classification