Why am I required to make a contribution to my CHSP service?

The Australian Government pays for the bulk of aged care in Australia. But as with all aged care services, it’s expected you’ll contribute to the cost of your care if you can afford to do so.

Any fees will be discussed with you and agreed upon before you receive the relevant services. The fee you pay will contribute to the costs of delivering services such as staffing or for equipment costs.

Why do I get charged for Cancellation of Services (with less than 24 hours notice)

When your service is scheduled with Northside, a significant amount of time is involved coordinating your service that specifically meets your needs. Last minute cancellations are extremely costly and can cause inconvenience. This is also the case when a client fails to keep a scheduled appointment without notice.

Accordingly, we ask that if you wish to cancel or reschedule your service that you do so no later than 24 hours before the time of the service. For late cancellations or instances when there is nobody home to receive the service the full fee for a service will be charged and billed to your next invoice.

We understand that sometimes unavoidable emergencies happen at the last minute. If it can be shown that the cancellation or reason for not being at home to receive your service is due to an unavoidable emergency of a medical nature, the service will not be charged or billed to your invoice.

Why do you apply a fee to Social Support and other programs that utilise volunteers?

As a Not for Profit organisation, Northside’s client contributions go directly back into strengthening and expanding our programs and developing and supporting our team on the ground. Client contributions to our Social Support programs (including Pet Assistance and Wellbeing) mean that we can offer training and professional development opportunities to our team of exceptional volunteers. Contributions also help us expand programs and provide services and support that might be considered “out of scope” by government funding bodies. Our PAWS pet assistance program is a really great example of how we are expanding our program areas to meet community need.

What if I can’t afford to pay?

If you are experiencing difficulties at any time with paying your invoice, you can have a confidential discussion with our management team. We are here to help. For a confidential discussion about your contribution to service please contact our management team on 02 6171 8000

How will I be invoiced and what are the Payment Methods?

You will receive a monthly invoice which will detail the services provided by Northside Community Service during that time period. You have the option to set up a monthly direct debit account with Northside. At the bottom of each invoice is a remittance slip which lists the full payment options available. Please return this remittance slip with your payment.

Further Information

For further information please contact our Aged Care and Inclusion team on 6171 8088 or email us intake@northside.asn.au

For more information on government-funded aged care services, you can contact My Aged Care or call 1800 200 422.