UPA Home Care

UPA Home Care is a service of The United Protestant Association of NSW, a non-for-profit organisation that has been providing services to the community for more than 75 years. As well as offering Home Care Services including, but not limited to; personal care services, domestic assistance, specialised nursing care, dementia care, palliative care, travel and transportation, social access, and assistance with shopping; UPA also offers Independent Living and Residential Care options. Through all aspects of elder care, we strive to promote the wellness and re-ablement of all our clients through all stages of life.

Our Home Care Services are managed by Regional offices, staff working within those offices are locals, caring for locals. With local understanding of the Region, you can be assured that your care and services will be provided by someone who understands your needs, and lives within your community. At UPA Home Care we understand that the needs and the delivery of services to a client in metropolitan areas are likely be very different to the needs of someone living in regional NSW. Our regionally based offices helps to ensure consumer’s needs are met without a ‘cookie cutter’ approach to care.

The 6 Regional Offices include; Central West (office in Orange), Western (office in Dubbo), Hunter (office in Wallsend), Riverina Murray Region (office in Albury), North Coast (office in Tweed Heads), and the Sydney Region. Within these regions, we are able to offer a range of services including Home Care Packages, Community Home Support Packages, Department of Veterans Affairs Services, Private Services, Brokerage Services, Day Respite, and Meals on Wheels. To find out what specific services are available within your region, please click on a link below:-

Central West Region (Orange and Molong)
Western Region (Dubbo and Yeoval)
Hunter Region (Newcastle)
Riverina Murray Region
North Coast Region
Sydney Region

To find the nearest Home Care Services around you, click HERE.
To view the 2022 – 2023 Service Price Guide for UPA Home Care, click HERE.

At UPA Home Care, our focus is on building a sincere and caring relationship with our clients and every decision we make as an organisation comes back to the mission of UPA- incorporating the values of Compassion, Respect, Integrity, Kindness and Inclusiveness. To us you are more than a client, you are part of the UPA family.

As at 27 February 2017, the Government rolled out the Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms affecting Home Care Packages. Not only have the reforms changed the way that Home Care is accessed, they are the biggest reforms the Aged Care sector has ever seen.

The Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms are about the Australian Government improving the way services are available to older Australians. These changes aim to ensure a more sustainable and quality driven aged care system that is considerably more consumer driven and less regulated. These changes are about providing you with the care you need with more choice and flexibility. Some of the biggest changes to come through with the Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms are:-

The Funding Will Follow the Consumer
As a consumer, the funding for your Home Care Package will follow you to whichever provider you believe suits your needs and provides the best care for you. This means that if your Home Care Package comes through one provider but they are not able to best suit your care needs and the flexibility your life requires, you are able to use the funding from your Home Care Package to obtain services from a different provider. If, as a consumer, you choose to change providers, any unspent funds (Less any exit fees) will transfer to your new provider for use.

To view the 2022 Service Price Guide for UPA Home Care, click HERE.

Access to Home Care Packages
Eligibility for the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Home Care Packages (HCP) is determined through accessing the My Aged Care Contact Centre. After a series of questions to determine the level of need you will be referred to either a Regional Assessment Service (RAS) or Aged Care Assessments Teams (ACAT) for assessment.  Following assessment, you will either be referred for CHSP services or placed on the National prioritisation queue for HCP services. As a consumer, if there is not a Home Care Package available for you at the time, you will be added to the national prioritisation system. This system prioritises consumers by their care needs and current circumstances, as well as the length of time they have been waiting for a Home Care Package. This will allow for a more equitable and flexible distribution of packages, regardless of where a consumer lives.
Further information can be obtained at www.myagedcare.gov.au, by phoning the Contact Centre on 1800 200 422 or by contacting your local UPA Home Care Service.

Reduced Red-Tape for Providers
The process to become an approved provider will now be streamlined. Providers who are already approved for residential care and flexible care will now be able to ‘opt-in’ to provide Home Care, rather than going through the full application process. Once approved provider status has been granted, it will no longer lapse, regardless of whether the approval is for home care, residential care or flexible care.
Aged care service providers will also no longer need to apply for home care places through the Aged Care Approvals Round, instead they can adjust the services they offer to meet demand across different service areas and Home Care Package Levels.

Clearer Care Needs
Aged Care Assessment Teams will now assess consumers for Home Care at a package level; 1, 2, 3, or 4. This helps to better determine your specific level of care, rather than the broader level 1/2 or 3/4 packages that existed previously.

There are also a lot of things that aren’t changing;
•    If you’re already receiving a Home Care Package, you will continue to receive services at your current package level
•    There is no further change to the current fees or income tested arrangements
•    Claims and payments will still be made through the Department of Human Services Aged Care Payment System
•    Home care subsidy and supplements will continue to be paid to approved providers, not directly to consumers. As a consumer, you won’t be responsible for managing the funding in your package
•    Packages will continue to be delivered on a consumer directed care basis
•    Approved providers must continue to meet relevant quality and accreditation standards- Consumers are still ensured they will be receiving the best quality of care
•    The total number of Home Care Packages across the country will still be capped.

If you have any questions about the Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms, we would be happy to help you out in any way we can or direct you to the relevant governing body who would best be able to answer your specific queries.