Key facts:

Total government expenditure reported on aged care services in 2017–18 was $18.4 billion. This comprised expenditure of $12.4 billion on residential care services, $5.1 billion on home care and support services and $932.5 million on other services, such as flexible care and assessments.

As at June 2018, there were 207,142 operational places (excluding flexible places) in residential care services, and 91,847 recipients of Home Care Packages Level 1–4.

During 2017–18, there were 81,765 older clients receiving Home Care Packages Level 1–2, 46,817 older clients receiving Home Care Packages Level 3–4, 765,416 older clients of the Commonwealth Home Support Program and 64,856 older HACC clients in WA. There were also 234,798 older clients who received permanent care and 60,278 who received respite care in a residential aged care facility during that period.

The aged care system aims to promote the wellbeing and independence of older people (and their carers), by enabling them to stay in their own homes or by assisting them in residential care. Governments seek to achieve this aim by subsidising aged care services that are:

• accessible — including timely and affordable
• appropriate to meet the needs of clients — person-centred, with an emphasis on integrated care, ageing in place and restorative approaches
• high quality.

Governments aim for aged care services to meet these objectives in an equitable and efficient manner.