With the transition to the Support at Home (SaH) Program, Super Rehab has been preparing extensively to ensure we can support you and your participants through the new Restorative Care Pathway (RCP) program. As a team of multidisciplinary allied health clinicians, we are excited to partner with providers to deliver high-quality restorative care that promotes wellbeing and reablement for older Australians.
🔎 What is the Restorative Care Pathway?
The RCP is a short-term, up to 16-week, clinically focused program designed to help older people maintain or regain function, reduce decline and delay higher levels of care. It offers:
- Intensive allied health and/or nursing input
- Goal-centred reablement strategies
- Multidisciplinary teamwork (OT, Physio, EP, Dietetics, Speech, Podiatry)
- Weekly monitoring and progress reviews
- A focus on meaningful, measurable outcomes
🔄 RCP Can Run Parallel as Ongoing SaH Services
Participants who already have an ongoing SaH classification can access RCP concurrently. This means:
- SaH participants can continue using their quarterly SaH budget
- RCP provides additional short-term funding on top
- RCP services must be clinically focused and complementary to ongoing services
- RCP allows older people to receive an intensive functional boost without disruption in their ongoing supports
💰 RCP Funding Is Separate
Each RCP episode includes:
- Up to 16 weeks of allied health/nursing supports
- One unit of funding (up to $6,000) for that episode
- Participants may receive up to 2 units per year
- Two separate episodes, OR
- Two units combined into one episode (requires MAC assessor approval)
- Bonus point: Care management for RCP is funded from the RCP budget, not from pooled SaH care management funds
📦 RCP Works Alongside the AT-HM Scheme
Participants in RCP may simultaneously access the AT-HM (Assistive Technology & Home Modifications) scheme, which is funded separately from both SaH and RCP budgets:
- RCP participants can receive low, medium or high-tier AT and low or medium-tier HM, but not high-tier HM unless already approved under an ongoing SaH classification
- AT-HM approval is based on needs identified at assessment
- AT-HM items must come from the AT-HM scheme list
- Funding and clinical requirements for AT-HM operate in parallel to RCP and SaH
🎯 RCP Must Be Multidisciplinary and Goal Driven
The manual emphasises that RCP must use a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) model:
- At least two allied health professions involved (e.g., OT + Physio)
- Weekly or more frequent monitoring
- Regular MDT case conferences
- Integrated goal planning
- Bonus point: Super Rehab’s full allied health team aligns perfectly with this requirement
⏱️ RCP Has No Leave Provision
Unlike the preceding STRC Program, there are no leave provisions in RCP:
- If the participant is away, hospitalised, or unable to engage, the clock continues
- The episode will automatically end at 16 consecutive weeks
- The participants should start episodes only when they are ready to engage fully
⏳ Eligibility Requirements
A participant must meet suitability criteria:
- Have a short-term functional need
- Can benefit from intensive allied health/nursing intervention
- Are motivated and able to actively participate in goal-directed care
Ineligible if they:
- Are eligible for or recently received End-of-Life Pathway care
- Have had two RCP units in the last 12 months
- Have completed an episode within the last 90 days
- Receive/are eligible for Transition Care Program (TCP)
- Are in permanent residential aged care
Let’s Continue Supporting Participants Together
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If you have any questions about our pricing, capacity, or service areas, or would like to schedule a meeting, don’t hesitate to reach out. Book a meeting with me today to explore how we can align your service delivery with SaH requirements.