NT PHN is inviting applications from qualified and experienced organisations to deliver the new Care Finder Program to support the needs of older Territorians.
The aim of the Care Finder Program is to deliver specialist and intensive assistance to help senior Territorians navigate, understand and access aged care and connect with other relevant supports in their community.
Importantly, it will provide local, face-to-face support for this vulnerable population in Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin Rural area, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.
Acting NT PHN CEO, Kristy Brain, said the new Care Finder Program will help improve integration between health services and the aged care system in the NT.
“The Care Finder Program will deliver a localised service tailored to the needs of our senior Territorians who often find the aged care system complex and difficult to access the services they need, when they need them,” she said.
“The Care Finder Program is a nation-wide initiative being rolled out by Primary Health Networks across the country, to ensure there is a system-wide improvement in our aged care system.
“By engaging local service providers in our main town centres and regions across the NT, we will ensure older Territorians who might normally fall through the cracks of the aged care system receive the support they need.”
Under the new Care Finder Program, which was announced in the 2021-22 Budget as part of the Connecting Senior Australians to Aged Care Services measure, NT PHN received $1.3 million funding from the Australian Government to commission services in the NT.
It forms part of a significant investment in aged care reform in response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care and is one of the first aged care programs to be delivered through Primary Health Networks.
Who will this initiative support?
This program is designed to provide intensive support for older Australians to access My Aged Care and other community supports. The Care Finder Program is aimed at helping people who:
- Are vulnerable, isolated, homeless, and/or disadvantaged
- Are living with dementia and/or mental health illnesses
- Have communication barriers, including limited literacy skills
- Are unlikely to seek aged care support without assistance from others
- Have difficulty processing information to make decisions
- Live in rural or remote areas.
The new services will begin on 1 January 2023 and run until 30 June 2025.
The services will be commissioned via an open request for tender process, which is now open until 9 November 2022.
To apply, interested applicants should register via NT PHN’s TenderLink portal here.
If you have any questions, please contact procurement@ntphn.org.au
