How GP insights, Medicare entitlements and team care help plan the right services and budget under Home Care Packages and the new Support at Home.

What primary health brings to Support at Home

Support at Home works best when everyone is working from the same picture of health and goals. A clear plan then turns that picture into funded services that build safety, wellbeing and independence.

But first, let’s take a moment to understand what primary health care is. It is the everyday first point of care through GP clinics, nurses, allied health professionals, and pharmacists. It delivers whole person care, from prevention and chronic condition management through to referral to specialists or hospital when needed.

In practice, Support at Home and primary health should work together seamlessly. Good care is a team effort. The GP is the hub for guiding clinical decisions and early detection of issues and concerns. Allied health adds targeted therapies. The care advisor turns that advice into practical services and a workable budget. When information is shared and plans are updated, funds stretch further, and the person gets timely support that fits their goals.

Pulling the clinical picture together

Care planning for Support at Home services draws on several sources. Primary care is one of them, and often the anchor for complex care because the GP team sees changes over time and connects information from hospitals, specialists and allied health. These information sources combine insights from the person, their care supports, and their primary health providers to form a single, workable picture.

Gathering information for a person’s Support at Home care plan is about combining shared information to build a picture that illustrates wellbeing from a perspective of independence, daily living goals, and clinical needs. Information that can be obtained from primary care services to guide care planning and client goals includes:

  • GP Management Plan (GPMPs) – a GP led roadmap that links client goals to allied health referrals and care for long term conditions.
  • Mental Health Treatment Plans – outlines and coordinates support for a person’s mental health including a referral to a mental health professional, like a psychologist, for therapy sessions.
  • 75+ Health Assessments – an annual, comprehensive assessment for early detection of risk.
  • Home Medicines Review (HMR) – an annual GP referral to a specialist pharmacist for a complete safety check of a person’s medication and associated risks. This improves medication safety with pharmacist recommendations provided to the GP.
  • Entitlements and supports such as disabled parking permits or aids and equipment schemes, supporting a person’s independence goals and safer community participation.

Pulling these pieces together is only half the story. The next step is how to use this information in practice. For care advisors, primary care insights are not just background details, they are the foundation for building a Support at Home plan that is client centric, safe, goal-focused, and financially sustainable. By weaving clinical information into daily living goals, independence and clinical supports, care advisors can make sure package funds are directed to the care that matters most.

In Part 2, we’ll explore how to apply this information in real planning and decision making, turning medical advice into practical home supports that fit both needs and budgets.