Respite Pilot

The Department of Health (Department) is seeking expressions of interest to participate in the revised Supporting Older Long Stay Patients to Residential Respite Pilot (Residential Respite Pilot). Grant agreements for this program are under a shared award and negotiated individually.

This grant opportunity replaces the previous phase of the Residential Respite Pilot, which ends on 16 October 2026 with a revised payment structure, outlined below.

The Respite Pilot supports older patients who need more time and support to identify and make decisions about long term aged care, outside of hospital. This helps free up hospital beds for patients who need them, as well as reducing pressure on hospitals.

Respite Pilot providers receive the usual Commonwealth funding and client contributions for residential respite care. In addition, providers will receive a one-off payment to supplement the costs of safely admitting/discharging clients to the service, as well as the costs for additional allied health and case management.

Under this revised funding proposal, the Department will retrospectively fund up to $5,860, for each new, eligible client admitted directly from a WA public hospital and/or a public bed in a private hospital, who at the completion of their respite episode exits from the Respite Pilot to:

• permanent residential aged care:
  
  • $5,860 for transfer to a different residential aged care provider
  • $4,386 when remaining with the provider as a permanent resident
  
  
• other:
  
  • $5,115 for returning home or community
  • $3,624 for other outcomes, including transfer to hospital, or in the event of death.
  
  

In addition, providers can claim an additional one off State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) case management supplement of $1,550 per client for each client with an active SAT matter.

Providers will be paid quarterly in arrears for discharged Respite Pilot clients.

In order to be eligible for the Residential Respite Pilot, providers must be:

• an approved residential aged care provider under the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth);
• an operational accredited residential aged care home located in Western Australia;
• have no enforceable regulatory action issued by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission which restricts admissions to the home; and
• located in regional area of Western Australia and/or can support older people from priority cohorts identified by the Department, including (but not limited to) people who are:
  
  • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander;
  • culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD);
  • homeless or at risk of homelessness;
  • alcohol and/or drug dependent;
  • lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and asexual and other sexuality, gender, and bodily diverse people (LGBTIQA+); and/or
  • any other priority cohort, identified by the Department.
  
  

A provider’s suitability for the program will be considered against the information provided in the application form and capacity to offer care to priority cohorts identified by the Department.

Providers can be participants of both the Respite Pilot and Time to Think programs. However, participation is mutually exclusive at a site level, meaning homes currently participating in Time to Think are not eligible to participate in the Respite Pilot.

Referrals are generated by hospitals and based on individual patient needs and preferences. Referrals are coordinated directly with hospital teams or through the Department of Health’s centralised referral coordination team – Aged Care Hub.