MEDIUM priority HIGH priority Description This priority should apply to the This priority should only apply to a small majority of clients approved for number of clients approved for home home care. care. A 'medium' priority for home A 'high' priority for home care service care services should indicate should generally indicate that a client is that while a client is in need of considered at risk in terms of rapid a Home Care Package, their physical, mental or cognitive decline, or need is not as urgent, relative in terms of their personal safety. to some other clients. The client may have a carer at risk of or The client should not be at at a crisis point. immediate risk in terms of Clients with special needs should not health, physical injury, safety automatically be considered to have a or significant decline that may 'high' priority, as they may not have an result in the client needing to urgent need to access a package enter hospital or a residential quickly. care home. Application Clients will be placed in the Clients will be placed on the 'high' priority in the 'medium' priority stream of the stream of the national queue according queue national queue according to to when they received their approval for when they received their home care. approval for home care. The intention of the 'high' priority queue This queue will be longer than is that it will move more quickly than the the 'high' priority queue. 'medium' priority queue. The estimated wait time for However, there is no guarantee a client each level with a medium will receive a package in a certain time priority will be published. period. There are a limited number of packages available for high priority clients each package release. How quickly a package will be assigned will depend on how many other clients have also been assigned a 'high' priority.
MEDIUM priority HIGH priority Description This priority should apply to the majority of clients approved for home care. A 'medium' priority for home care services should indicate that while a client is in need of a Home Care Package, their need is not as urgent, relative to some other clients. The client should not be at immediate risk in terms of health, physical injury, safety or significant decline that may result in the client needing to enter hospital or a residential care home. This priority should only apply to a small number of clients approved for home care. A 'high' priority for home care service should generally indicate that a client is considered at risk in terms of rapid physical, mental or cognitive decline, or in terms of their personal safety. The client may have a carer at risk of or at a crisis point. Clients with special needs should not automatically be considered to have a 'high' priority, as they may not have an urgent need to access a package quickly. Application in the queue Clients will be placed in the 'medium' priority stream of the national queue according to when they received their approval for home care. This queue will be longer than the 'high' priority queue. The estimated wait time for each level with a medium priority will be published. Clients will be placed on the 'high' priority stream of the national queue according to when they received their approval for home care. The intention of the 'high' priority queue is that it will move more quickly than the 'medium' priority queue. However, there is no guarantee a client will receive a package in a certain time period. There are a limited number of packages available for high priority clients each package release. How quickly a package will be assigned will depend on how many other clients have also been assigned a 'high' priority.
guidance_on_priority_for_home_care_services.docx