Transition care aims to reduce the number of older long-stay patients in hospitals by providing short-term support and active management to older people at the conclusion of a hospital episode who require more time and support in a non-hospital environment to complete their restorative process, optimise their functional capacity and finalise and access their longer-term care arrangements.

AHA was appointed by the Australian Government to develop, pilot and deliver Transition Care training to Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) across Australia. The training focussed on the goals of the Transition Care Program (TCP) as well as the rules governing the approval and placement of people into transition care.

Thirty-three training sessions were delivered to both ACAT members and transition care service providers throughout all states and territories, except Western Australia. This project enabled ACATs nationally to accurately and consistently assess older people as being eligible for the Transition Care Program.

The training was highly successful, with 99% of participants rating their understanding of the Transition Care Program and the role of ACATs as either very good (52%) or good (47%).