Can CHSP help after I leave hospital?

Commonwealth Home Support Programme
Navigating CHSP
Ask Liz for guidance and compare suitable options
In short...
Yes, CHSP may help with entry-level support after you leave hospital if you are assessed and approved for suitable services. However, CHSP is not a hospital discharge or rehabilitation program. If you need coordinated short-term recovery support, the Transition Care Program may be more appropriate.
The details...
Can CHSP help after I leave hospital?
CHSP may provide practical support after a hospital stay, particularly where you need entry-level help to remain safe and independent at home.
Depending on your assessment and approval, CHSP services may include:
domestic assistance
meals
personal care
transport
nursing
allied health
home maintenance
social support.
CHSP is designed for ongoing or short-term entry-level support. It can help with everyday tasks after hospital, but it does not replace medical treatment, rehabilitation or formal hospital discharge planning.
What should happen before I leave hospital?
Tell the hospital discharge team if you are concerned about managing safely at home.
Explain whether you will need help with:
showering, dressing or toileting
meals and shopping
medication or wound care
walking or transfers
transport to appointments
household tasks
support for an unpaid family carer.
Hospital staff may be able to arrange an aged care assessment or connect you with suitable services before discharge.
Is Transition Care different from CHSP?
Yes.
The Transition Care Program is specifically designed to help eligible older people recover after a hospital stay. It provides short-term, goal-focused care intended to improve independence and confidence and reduce the need for longer-term support. Care may be delivered at home, in the community, in an aged care home or across a combination of settings.
Transition care may include:
nursing
physiotherapy or other allied health
personal care
domestic assistance
meals
social work
support with ongoing care arrangements.
You must generally be assessed while you are still a hospital patient and considered ready for discharge. Transition care can usually be provided for up to 12 weeks, with a possible extension of up to six weeks following another assessment.
Can I receive CHSP and Transition Care at the same time?
Yes, in some circumstances.
A person already receiving CHSP may also receive Transition Care, provided the two programs address different needs and do not duplicate the same services. Each program must be assessed separately.
For example:
Transition Care may provide short-term physiotherapy and nursing after hospital.
CHSP may continue providing an existing social support or domestic assistance service.
The providers should coordinate services so that the same support is not funded twice.
What if I am already home and no support was arranged?
Contact My Aged Care as soon as possible if you are struggling to manage safely after discharge.
You may be considered for:
a CHSP assessment or updated referral
an urgent CHSP referral where delaying support creates a significant risk of harm
Support at Home if your needs are more complex
other health or community services.
Transition Care usually needs to be organised as part of the hospital discharge process, so raise it with hospital staff before leaving whenever possible.
What if I need medical or rehabilitation care?
CHSP is not a substitute for:
hospital treatment
post-acute medical care
rehabilitation prescribed by your treating team
emergency nursing or medical attention.
Contact your hospital, GP or treating clinician if your medical needs are not being managed. Call 000 if there is an immediate threat to life or safety.
What should I do next?
Before leaving hospital, ask the discharge team:
Is it safe for me to return home?
Do I qualify for Transition Care?
Has an aged care assessment or referral been arranged?
Who will manage wound care, medication and rehabilitation?
What help will be available with meals, personal care and household tasks?
Who should I contact if the support does not begin?
If you are already home, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and clearly explain that you have recently left hospital and are unable to manage safely without support.
Helpful Local Home Help resources
Check the official guidance
The most suitable pathway depends on your assessed needs, recovery goals and whether arrangements are made before hospital discharge.
Official guidance:
Takeaways
CHSP may provide entry-level help after hospital if you are assessed and approved.
CHSP is not a medical rehabilitation or hospital discharge program.
Transition Care is specifically designed for short-term recovery after hospital.
Transition Care should generally be discussed and assessed before discharge.
CHSP and Transition Care can sometimes operate together if services do not overlap.
Contact My Aged Care promptly if you return home without enough support.
About Local Home Help
How Providers Are Listed
How providers appear on Local Home Help Local Home Help helps families discover home support services available in their area. Providers may appear on the site in a few different ways. Some providers create and manage their own listing on the platform. Others may appear based on publicly available information about services operating in a particular region. This helps families see a broader view of support options available locally. Where possible, we encourage providers to claim and manage their listing so information such as services offered, contact details and service areas remain accurate and up to date. There are no paid or enhanced listings on Local Home Help, and there never will be. Claiming or managing a listing has no effect on a provider's visibility, ranking, or how often it appears in a consumer's personalised shortlist, it simply keeps the information families see accurate and current. Local Home Help does not charge consumers to access the platform. We may generate revenue in other ways in the future, but none of these will ever influence which providers a consumer sees, how they're ranked, or what appears in their shortlist. Provider visibility is, and will remain, based solely on relevance to each family's stated needs. What does not influence Liz There are no paid or enhanced listings on Local Home Help, not now, and not in the future. No provider can pay for a higher position in Liz results, a better ranking, or inclusion in a consumer's shortlist. This is a permanent commitment, not a current-state description. Claiming or updating a profile does not improve a provider's ranking. It gives Liz more accurate information about the provider's services, coverage and care model, which can make the explanation of why a provider matched clearer, but it has no effect on whether or how highly that provider appears. Local Home Help intends to generate revenue in other ways in the future - for example through tools built for providers, or products separate from the consumer matching experience. None of these will influence which providers appear in Liz's results, how they're ranked, or what a consumer sees in their personalised shortlist. Visibility and ranking are based solely on the fit factors described above, and nothing else. This reflects the platform's core ethos: Local Home Help is built consumer-first. Every design and revenue decision is made so that what a family sees from Liz is the most relevant outcome for them. Never the most profitable outcome for Local Home Help or a provider.
Independence Statement
Our independence Local Home Help is designed to help families navigate the often confusing world of home support and aged care services. The platform aims to present information in a clear and balanced way so families can better understand the types of help available and where to find it. While providers may appear on the platform, Local Home Help does not recommend one provider over another. The decision about which service may be suitable will always depend on individual circumstances. Families are encouraged to contact providers directly, ask questions and make their own enquiries before making a decision. Our focus is to make the process of understanding and finding support at home easier. Local Home Help does not accept payment of any kind in exchange for provider visibility, ranking, or shortlist placement, and never will. Any future revenue Local Home Help generates will come from sources entirely separate from how providers are matched to consumers.
Quality Signals
What to look for when choosing a provider ​ Finding the right support service can take time. When considering a provider, families may wish to look for signs of quality such as: Clear information about services offered Transparent pricing or funding options Experience supporting older people at home Relevant professional qualifications where appropriate Positive feedback or reputation in the community Willingness to answer questions about care and services It is often helpful to speak with more than one provider before making a decision. Local Home Help aims to provide a starting point for exploring services, but the best choice will depend on the needs and preferences of the individual receiving support.
About the Author
Local Home Help Editorial Team
This article was created by Local Home Help to help Australian families better understand aged care and home support options in plain English.
Our content is based on publicly available information from:
-
My Aged Care
-
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
-
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
-
Provider pricing schedules and operational experience within the aged care sector.
Local Home Help is an independent consumer information platform and does not provide medical, legal or financial advice.
Important information
Aged care rules, fees, eligibility requirements and program arrangements can change. The information on this page is general guidance only and may not apply to every person or situation.
Before making a financial, legal or care decision, check the latest information with My Aged Care, Services Australia, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, or another appropriate official source.
Local Home Help does not provide legal, financial, medical or clinical advice.
Source data
Last reviewed
20/7/26, 9:08 pm