How do Home Care Packages work on the Gold Coast? Can I use them for in-home physiotherapy and osteopathy?

Yes – your Home Care Package (HCP) can pay for mobile physiotherapy or osteopathy when it’s in the care plan your provider agrees to. Home Care Packages exist to help older Australians live safely and independently at home with the right mix of services (allied health, personal care, equipment advice, etc.). If you’re on the Gold Coast, GM Physiotherapy & Osteopathy comes to you – home, unit, village, even the local shops or bowling green – to work on real-life goals like balance, stairs, and community confidence. We focus on building relationships with our clients and their families to ensure we are doing everything we can to help older Australians live and thrive at home. Working with home care package providers is an important part of this.

What exactly is a Home Care Package (HCP)?

Think of an HCP as a government-subsidised annual budget for people who need coordinated, ongoing help at home. After an assessment, you’re assigned a level (1–4). You then choose a provider who helps plan and purchase services within that budget. There are lots of providers, and it can be overwhelming. Unofficially, we recommend Bannister in Home Care for ease and convenience. We have worked with them for a few years now. 

Am I eligible? Usually, anyone 65+ (or 50+ if you’re Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or if you’re homeless/at risk) is eligible. You will need to demonstrate that you have care needs (mobility, falls, cognition, meds, personal care, etc.). The best place to start is with an eligibility check and assessment via My Aged Care (online or call 1800 200 422). This is the biggest hurdle to accessing a Home Care Package, as there are often long delays. If you are even considering whether you need a Home Care Package, get started early and arrange an assessment. If you think you might need extra help in the near future, it’s likely you will need it by the time they get around to the assessment.

Levels 1–4, in plain English (and what they typically cover)

Home Care Package levels provide varying levels of funding according to individual needs. Exact dollar amounts are adjusted during the year, but as a ballpark (FY25 figures): Level 1 (~$10.9k), Level 2 (~$19.2k), Level 3 (~$41.8k), Level 4 (~$63.4k). Your provider also charges care management and package management fees from the same budget.

– Level 1 (Basic support): a little help to stay on track – e.g., falls screen, starter exercise program, walking-aid tune-up, occasional check-ins.

– Level 2 (Low): regular allied health and personal care – balance & strength, pain, safe transfers, carer coaching.

– Level 3 (Intermediate): more frequent therapy + personal care, post-hospital reconditioning / rehabilitation, home safety tweaks/equipment advice.

– Level 4 (High): complex needs – intensive allied health, advanced mobility work, frequent care coordination.

For the latest stats on costs/fees and how budgets work, see My Aged Care: “Home Care Package costs & fees” and the national median price summaries the government publishes (link at the bottom)

What HCPs can (and can’t) pay for (inclusions & exclusions)

Generally included:

– Allied health (that’s us): in-home physio (strength, balance, gait training, falls prevention, post-op/post-illness reconditioning) and osteopathy for pain/mobility, plus carer training for safe transfers.

– Home safety & equipment advice (handrails referrals, walkers, chairs, bathroom aids) and help to set them up correctly.

– Everyday supports to help you stay safe/independent (personal care, domestic assistance, meal help, transport to appointments), purchased by your provider within your budget.

Your provider uses the Inclusions & Exclusions framework to determine the appropriateness of your goals. This will often be combined with a structured initial assessment provided by allied health specialists (physiotherapy, osteopathy, occupational therapy etc) to guide what can be included in your package.

Always excluded:general living costs everyone pays (e.g., rent/mortgage, standard groceries), entertainment/holidays, and anything already covered by MBS / PBS / NDIS.

The Practical Bits – How to get a package (and how long it takes)

Apply for an assessment (online or call 1800 200 422). A trained assessor visits you at home and recommends a level if eligible. 

Approval & national queue. While you wait, you can start services privately, via Medicare CDM (up to 5 allied health visits per calendar year with a GP plan), or health-fund extras.

Package “assignment” letter arrives – then you choose a provider and services begin.

Reality check on wait times: The government has been releasing extra HCP places through 2025–26 to reduce delays, but many families still wait a long time (six months or more).

Billing with GM Mobile Physiotherapy & Osteopathy (how it works)

You let your provider know you would like your physiotherapy/osteopathy to be provided through GM Physiotherapy. You or they can then contact us. 

We assess, set goals, and send your provider a quote + clinical rationale for inclusion in your care plan.

Once approved, we invoice your provider against your HCP (or invoice you directly if self-managed for reimbursement).

We share progress notes and reports to support ongoing approvals and re-authorisations (this level of reporting is expected under Medicare CDM and best practice under HCP).

We often provide reports / requests for additional services as you need them.

Your level of care will continue to be reviewed whilst on your package

How does GM Physiotherapy help to keep you safe at home

Our mobile team works on what matters at home: confidence with stairs & showers, balance on uneven paths, safe car transfers, energy pacing after illnesses – which is exactly what HCPs are designed to support. We specialise in you and your environment, so whether its pain management, neurological conditions (stroke, Parkinson’s disease) or any other chronic condition, we want to hear about your challenges, your goals and what we can do to help. Clinic appointments often just don’t cut it because those services don’t take into consideration your home environment and specific challenges. In addition, offering mobile services means we can be much more flexible in the therapy we provide, whether it’s walking down to the local bowls club to reconnect with friends and get back into the game, finally getting out the the nearby park or navigating specific home obstacles, the fact that we come to you means that your therapy is also all about you. We can also support hydrotherapy, manual therapy and almost anything you can think of that will improve your quality of life, health and well-being. We service all areas of the Gold Coast (and some in northern NSW) from Coolangatta to Logan keeping our older Gold Coast residents happy and safe at home. 

The changes: Support at Home is coming (from 1 Nov 2025) – what it means for you.

As if all of that wasn’t confusing enough, the government is replacing HCP and Short-Term Restorative Care with a new Support at Home (SaH) program on 1 November 2025 (CHSP moves later, no earlier than 1 July 2027). SaH’s purpose is to make in-home care simpler, faster, and more transparent, with clearer fees and more choice & control. You should keep your care, with transition arrangements to avoid gaps. 

What’s changing in practice (in plain English):

More granular levels (sector guidance points to 8 levels vs today’s 4), so budgets align better to real-world needs. 

Fair/transparent pricing & contributions settings, with the Commonwealth signalling caps and safeguards – the aim is to reduce confusion and avoid surprise charges.

Same spirit, tidier rules: keep people safe and independent at home, reduce hospitalisations, and make it easier to start help sooner. Official updates live here: Support at Home program – Dept of Health. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

FAQs

Can we use the package specifically for falls-prevention physio at home?

Yes, if it’s part of the plan your provider approves. We focus on strength, balance, gait training, and home hazard fixes, plus carer training. 

Do we have to use the provider’s in-house therapist?

Usually, no. You can choose external allied health (like us), especially with self-managed packages – ask the provider how to engage GM Physiotherapy/Osteopathy. 

What if we’re still waiting months?

Kick off with Medicare EPCs (up to 5 visits/year), extras, or private sessions, and switch to HCP billing once funds land. These options don’t usually cover the whole price of physiotherapy / osteopathy treatment so expect a ‘gap’ payment. 

My parents are struggling and this is too complicated for them. Can I apply on their behalf?

Yes, you can help from day one – and you can be set up as their My Aged Care representative (with their consent) so you can speak to My Aged Care, book assessments, receive updates, and manage services for them.

Handy official links

– Home Care Packages — overview (My Aged Care). My Aged Care

– Apply / get assessed (My Aged Care). My Aged Care

– Eligibility basics (My Aged Care). My Aged Care

– Costs & fees explained (My Aged Care). My Aged Care

– Published national median prices (DoH). Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

– Inclusions & Exclusions — official FAQs (DoH). Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

– Exclusions (what HCP funds can’t buy) — quick ref. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

– Support at Home program hub (Dept of Health). Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

– Support at Home — what it aims to fix (My Aged Care update). My Aged Care

– Short-Term Restorative Care (handy for reconditioning). My Aged Care

– Medicare CDM: allied health under a GP plan (Services Australia). Services Australia