What approved status means

An approved aged care provider is an organisation that has been assessed and approved by the Australian Government to deliver aged care services. This includes home care, Support at Home, residential aged care, and other government funded aged care programs.

Approved status means the aged care provider has met national standards for governance, safety, clinical capability, and quality of home care services. It means they are accountable to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and subject to ongoing monitoring, audits, and compliance requirements.

Not every home care provider in Melbourne or Victoria has approved status. Some operate as private in home care providers without government approval. That does not automatically make them bad, but it does mean they are not held to the same aged care standards and are not eligible to deliver government funded home care services like Support at Home or Home Care Packages.

Why it matters for your parent

Approved status is the minimum standard your family should expect from any aged care provider delivering home care to your elderly parent.

• Accountability: An approved aged care provider is regulated by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. If something goes wrong with your parent’s home care, there is a formal complaints process, an independent regulator, and consequences for providers who do not meet aged care quality standards.
• Safety: Approved providers must comply with the Aged Care Quality Standards, which cover personal care, clinical aged care, dignity, independence, and consumer rights. These standards exist to protect older Australians and seniors receiving home care services.
• Funding access: Only approved aged care providers can deliver government funded home care. If your parent has a Home Care Package or Support at Home funding, they must choose an approved provider to receive their aged care services.
• Transparency: Approved providers must publish their fees, maintain aged care agreements with home care clients, and operate with financial accountability. This protects your parent’s home care budget from hidden costs and poor management.

How to check if a provider is approved

Visit the My Aged Care website at myagedcare.gov.au and search for the home care provider by name. If they appear in the directory as an approved aged care provider, their status is verified.

You can also call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask directly. This takes two minutes and gives your family confidence before committing to any aged care provider for your parent’s in home care.

If a home care provider cannot be found on the My Aged Care directory, ask them why. There may be a legitimate reason, but your family deserves a clear answer.

What approved status does not guarantee

Approved status is a minimum standard, not a quality guarantee. It means the aged care provider has met the requirements to operate. It does not mean they have the aged care specific workforce to deliver reliable home care visits, consistent carer matching, or genuine continuity of care.

A home care provider can be approved and still have a small aged care team that cannot cover shifts, match care workers to elderly people properly, or start home care quickly when families need it.

This is why approved status should be your starting point, not your only question. Ask about aged care workforce size, staff turnover, replacement coverage, and how many aged care professionals the provider employs across Melbourne, regional Victoria, and Tasmania. Approved status tells you they are allowed to deliver home care. Workforce depth tells you whether they actually can.

Chris Barnard Health approved status

Chris Barnard Health is an approved aged care provider, a registered NDIS provider, and ISO 9001 certified. We have been delivering home care services and aged care workforce solutions since 2010, starting as a specialist nursing agency in Melbourne.

Our aged care specific workforce of more than 1,000 aged care professionals means approved status is backed by the people to deliver on it. Consistent carers, reliable home care visits, genuine carer matching, and the continuity of care that older Australians and their families deserve.

Verify our approved status on My Aged Care. Then call 1300 602 469. It is what Melbourne’s leading and largest aged care specific workforce was built for. So your parent’s home care is not just approved. It is reliable.