A new Aged Care Single Assessment System replaces ACAT today

Starting today, the new Single Assessment System workforce is officially in place. This change follows the introduction of the Integrated Assessment Tool in July 2024 and is part of the broader Aged Care Reforms under the new Aged Care Act.

The Single Assessment System aims to simplify aged care assessments, ensuring that older Australians:

• No longer need to change assessment providers as their care needs evolve (all assessors can now complete clinical aspects of the assessment).
• Experience reduced waiting times for assessments.
• First Nations people receive culturally safe and trauma-informed assessments, particularly for.

What does the Single Assessment System replace?

The new system consolidates the roles of:

• the Regional Assessment Service (RAS);
• the Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs); and
• independent Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) assessors.

What stays the same

There will be no changes to:

• Eligibility requirements
• In-hospital assessments
• Assessment locations: these can still be done in person at home, in a hospital, or at a service centre.
• How to apply. You, or a representative on your behalf (i.e. family member or carer) can still apply:
  
  o Online: visit My Aged Care
  o Over the phone: call 1800 200 422 (8am–8pm weekdays, 10am–2pm Saturdays)
  o In person: book a face-to-face appointment at select Services Australia service centres by calling 1800 277 475 (8am–5pm weekdays).
• Processes for:
  o referrals to urgent services
  o residential aged care funding assessments
  o reassessments

Already waiting for an aged care assessment?

If you’ve already applied for an assessment or have an upcoming appointment, nothing changes for you. Your assessment will proceed as planned at this stage.

Clinical and non-clinical aged care assessments as one

Under the new system, organisations conducting aged care assessments can now assess both clinical and non-clinical needs. These include:

1. Home support assessments (non-clinical) for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)
2. Comprehensive assessments (clinical) for:

• Home Care Packages (HCP) Program
• Flexible aged care programs
• Residential respite
• Entry into residential aged care.

First Nations-centred assessments

The system ensures that assessments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are culturally safe, trauma-informed, and better aligned with community needs.

Why this change?

The implementation of the Single Assessment System addresses Recommendation 28 from the Aged Care Royal Commission. The Royal Commission identified significant inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and duplication in the previous system. The recommendation 28:

Australian Government to establish a single aged care workforce empowered and trained to do all the assessments that are needed across home and residential care. This will ensure: Older people have a more stream-lined; assessment experience and receive; greater clarity about likely services.

Further information

Related articles:

• How to Prepare for Your Aged Care Assessment (previously ACAT)
• Questions asked in an aged care assessment (previously ACAT)

Visit the My Aged Care website:

• Apply for an assessment
• How to apply for an assessment
• Prepare for an assessment
• When to get re-assessed.

Also visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website:

• Single Assessment System for aged care page
• Assessment fact sheet (PDF, open in a new window)