Can I get 24/7 nursing care at home through a package?
Yes, you can get 24/7 nursing care at home. But you'll need to contribute out-of-pocket
Key points
- Ask for details in writing and compare more than one option where possible.
- Individual eligibility, availability and outcomes can vary.
- Ask questions early and seek independent help if anything feels unclear or unsafe.
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01Guide sectionCan I get 24/7 nursing care at home through a Support at Home package?
Support at Home can pay for approved nursing care at home, but an ordinary ongoing budget is unlikely to cover continuous nursing 24 hours a day.
Nursing is classified as a clinical support. When nursing is approved in your support plan and you have sufficient funding available:
you pay no participant contribution
the full agreed nursing price is paid from your available Support at Home funding.
However, your funding is still limited by your approved classification and budget. “Fully government funded” means there is no personal contribution on each approved nursing service-it does not provide unlimited nursing hours.
02Practical actionWhy an ongoing budget will not usually cover 24/7 nursing
Continuous care requires 168 hours of staffing every week.
The highest current ongoing Support at Home classification provides approximately $80,137 per year, including the amount allocated for care management. A transitioned Level 4 Home Care Package provides approximately $65,416 per year.
By comparison, continuous nursing would cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars each year-and potentially well over $1 million-depending on:
weekday and overnight rates
weekend and public-holiday penalties
whether registered or enrolled nurses are required
active overnight versus sleepover arrangements
minimum shift lengths
the clinical complexity of the care.
A Support at Home budget may therefore fund scheduled nursing visits, but not usually a nurse remaining in the home around the clock.
03Guide sectionWhat nursing can Support at Home fund?
Where assessed and approved, nursing support may include:
wound care
medication management
injections
continence assessment
catheter or stoma care
monitoring of chronic conditions
clinical assessment
education for the person and family
palliative or end-of-life nursing
coordination with doctors and other health professionals.
The frequency should be based on the person’s assessed clinical needs and available funding.
For example, Support at Home might fund:
a nurse visiting several times each week for wound care
regular medication or diabetes support
short clinical visits combined with personal-care services
more intensive nursing for a limited period after illness or hospital discharge.
04Guide sectionWhat does 24/7 care actually mean?
Families sometimes use “24/7 nursing” when the person does not require a registered nurse every hour but does need someone present at all times.
A care arrangement may instead combine:
scheduled nursing visits for clinical tasks
personal-care workers for showering, dressing and toileting
support workers for meals, mobility and supervision
active overnight care
sleepover support
unpaid family care
private services
state-funded community nursing or palliative care.
This is often more realistic than using registered nurses for every hour of the day. However, workers must not perform clinical tasks outside their training, competency or professional scope.
05Guide sectionWhat about overnight support?
There is an important difference between:
Active overnight care
The worker is expected to remain awake and provide regular or continuous assistance throughout the night.
Sleepover support
The worker can sleep but is available to respond when needed. This is not suitable where the person requires frequent monitoring or repeated assistance.
Clinical overnight nursing
A nurse remains present because ongoing clinical monitoring or intervention is required.
The provider should complete a risk and clinical-needs assessment before recommending any overnight arrangement.
06Guide sectionCan the End-of-Life Pathway provide more support?
A person who is expected to have three months or less to live and wants to remain at home may qualify for the Support at Home End-of-Life Pathway.
It provides $25,000 over 12 weeks, with flexibility to use the funding over up to 16 weeks. Clinical services such as nursing attract no participant contribution. The pathway is designed to complement-not replace-state and territory palliative-care services.
Even this pathway does not automatically provide a nurse in the home 24 hours a day. A broader plan may still need to involve:
community palliative-care services
the person’s GP
hospital outreach teams
family and carers
privately funded support
respite or residential care where home care cannot be delivered safely.
07Guide sectionCan I privately purchase additional care?
Yes. A person can enter into a private agreement for services beyond the amount covered by their Support at Home budget, but they must pay the full cost of those additional services.
Before arranging private 24-hour care, ask for a written weekly and annual cost estimate covering:
daytime, evening and overnight shifts
weekday and weekend rates
public-holiday rates
nursing versus support-worker hours
minimum shift lengths
replacement staffing
clinical supervision
cancellation terms
what happens if the person’s condition deteriorates.
08Guide sectionWhen may home care no longer be enough?
A home-based arrangement may become unsafe or financially unrealistic where the person needs:
constant clinical observation
frequent overnight intervention
two workers for transfers
immediate access to emergency clinical care
complex equipment or procedures
a level of supervision that cannot be reliably staffed.
In that situation, the care partner, GP and clinical team should discuss whether additional health services, respite, palliative care or residential aged care would provide safer and more sustainable support.
The practical answer is:
Support at Home can fully fund approved nursing services within your available budget, but it will not ordinarily fund continuous 24/7 nursing. Most round-the-clock home arrangements require a combination of funded clinical visits, lower-cost support workers, family assistance, other health programs and substantial private funding.
09Guide sectionWhat should I do next?
Confirm the details with My Aged Care or the relevant provider, write down your questions and ask for important information in writing before making a decision.
10Guide sectionHelpful Local Home Help resources
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