Transition Care Programme 065-13030000

The System for the Payment of Aged Residential Care (SPARC) is the legacy aged care payment system for residential care. SPARC is a view only system from 11 August 2022.

To view the legacy SPARC process, see the historical version.

Transition care provides short-term support and active management for care recipients after a hospital stay. It allows them to return home rather than prematurely enter residential care.

Transition care provides time-limited, goal-oriented and therapy-focused packages of services to care recipients after a hospital stay.

These packages include low intensity therapy - such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy - social work and nursing support or personal care.

Transition care provides short term care of up to 12 weeks. Care can be provided at home, a ‘live-in’ setting or a combination of both. Live in settings can be part of an existing aged care home or a health facility such as a separate wing of a hospital.

Transition care can only be accessed directly from hospital for up to 12 weeks. Transition care can be extended to 18 weeks if a care recipient is assessed as needing more help whilst in transition care.

The care recipient must be:

• an admitted patient of a private or public hospital, and
• assessed in hospital by My Aged Care. Hospital staff or an Aged Care Specialist Officer (ACSO) can arrange this assessment through My Aged Care

The 4 week entry period for a care recipient to enter transition care starts the day after the approval is signed.

The approval to enter transitional care is valid for 4 weeks from date of signing.

In exceptional circumstances, a care recipient may require an extension to a Transition care episode where their care needs exceed the 12 week maximum.

A Transition care episode can only be extended by up to 42 days (6 weeks i.e. total maximum of 18 weeks). It is possible to have more than 1 extension so long as the total number of days does not exceed 42 days (6 weeks). For example, if the extension request is for 20 days, it is possible to grant another extension of up to 22 days.

The application for the extension must be completed within the initial 12 week episode of transition care.

From 20 August 2022 Services Australia automatically receives the extension requests from the Department of Health and Aged Care.

From 20 August 2022, if Services Australia receives the extension requests either from My Aged Care’s emails or the paper format (the Aged Care Application for an Extension of Transition Care (AC012) form), they must advise the aged care service the following:

• The AC012 form has been decommissioned and Services Australia no longer processes transition care extension requests
• Transition care extension requests are automatically sent from the Department of Health and Aged Care to Services Australia
• Transition care extension requests must be lodged using My Aged Care Provider Portal and
• The aged care service can use the My Aged Care - Provider Portal User Guide: Part 2 Team Leader and Staff Member Functions available. The Resources page has a link to the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website for more information