Thinking of Home Care? What NDIS Providers Need to Know First

Melinda Burgess, Associate, Engels Floyd Quality Consulting

Key Points: 

• Homecare registration involves a different regulatory framework, requiring providers to demonstrate capability beyond standard NDIS provider compliance.
• To become a registered home care provider, organisations must strengthen governance, workforce capability, and financial systems.
• The aged care provider registration model requires providers to apply for specific service categories and meet stricter audit expectations.
• Becoming an aged care provider is a strategic shift that requires careful planning, not a simple extension of existing NDIS services.

Summary:

Drawing on Melinda Burgess’ extensive experience across disability and aged care, this piece unpacks what NDIS providers need to understand before pursuing homecare registration. Her insights highlight that becoming a registered home care provider involves more than leveraging existing NDIS provider compliance, requiring stronger governance, financial oversight, and organisational maturity to meet aged care provider registration expectations. With the right preparation and guidance from an experienced aged care registration consultant like Engels Floyd, providers can approach this transition with clarity and confidence.

Many NDIS providers are exploring aged care as their next growth opportunity. But before making the leap, it’s important to understand how different the sector really is.

Across the sector, many NDIS providers are starting to explore aged care — particularly home care services. At first glance, the two sectors appear similar. Both support people to live safely and independently in their own homes.

However, aged care operates within a different regulatory environment and often requires a different level of organisational maturity.

To help unpack what providers should know before entering the sector, we asked our resident Engels Floyd Home Care expert, Melinda Burgess, to answer some of the questions we hear most often.

Melinda Burgess brings over 25 years of experience across disability and aged care, including executive leadership, service delivery, and governance. She has supported organisations through major sector transitions, including the move to the NDIS, and now works closely with providers navigating aged care registration and compliance requirements. 

As a qualified NDIS auditor and experienced aged care registration consultant, Melinda offers practical insights to help providers confidently enter the aged care sector.

What Providers Are Asking

Q: Why are so many NDIS providers considering home care?

Melinda:

There are a few drivers.

Demand for home-based aged care continues to grow as more Australians choose to remain living independently at home for longer. Government investment in home care has also increased significantly.
For many disability providers, aged care feels like a natural extension of their mission — supporting people across different stages of life. It can also create additional revenue streams and improve workforce utilisation.

However, it’s important to recognise that aged care is not simply an extension of NDIS services. It operates under a different regulatory framework and requires different governance, financial and compliance systems.

“Aged care is not simply an extension of NDIS services — it requires different governance, financial systems and organisational maturity.”
— Melinda Burgess

Q: What is the biggest misconception providers have when entering aged care?

Melinda:

The most common assumption is:
“We’re already regulated under the NDIS — how different can aged care be?”

The answer is: quite different.

NDIS experience is definitely valuable, particularly around governance, risk management and person-centred practice. However, aged care places stronger emphasis on areas such as:

• clinical governance
• financial sustainability
• prudential oversight
• service-level regulation and transparency

In aged care, regulators are assessing not just compliance — but whether your organisation has the capability and maturity to safely deliver care.

Q: What organisational changes are typically required when providers diversify?

Melinda:

Diversification rarely affects just one part of an organisation. It usually requires changes across three key areas.

Governance
Boards and leadership teams must demonstrate strong oversight of care quality and safety, including clearer accountability for clinical outcomes.

Workforce capability
Staff must have the right qualifications, scopes of practice and training to safely deliver aged care services.

Financial systems
Aged care places greater emphasis on financial governance, sustainability and robust reporting.
For most organisations, diversification is not simply adding a new service line — it is a strategic organisational shift.

Q: What major regulatory changes should providers be aware of?

Melinda:

One of the biggest changes is the new aged care provider registration model, that commenced late 2025.
Under this model, providers must apply for specific registration categories depending on the services they intend to deliver — ranging from home and community services through to residential care.

Higher-risk categories require more comprehensive audits against the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, which place significant emphasis on governance, care quality and clinical oversight.
Providers must demonstrate commitment, capability and capacity before registration is approved.

Q: How different are the aged care standards compared to the NDIS Practice Standards?

Melinda:

There are areas of alignment. Both systems require strong governance, incident management, complaints systems, workforce oversight and continuous improvement.

However, there are some important structural differences.
For example:

• aged care registration is service-level, while NDIS registration is organisation-level
• aged care audits are typically on-site and publicly reported
• the regulator allocates the assessment team, rather than providers selecting their auditor

These differences mean providers should expect a different style of regulatory oversight and scrutiny.

Q: What should providers ask themselves before entering aged care?

Melinda:

Before making the move, organisations should pause and ask a few key questions:

• Why are we considering diversification?
• Are we prepared for more regulation, not just different regulation?
• Do we have the governance, workforce and financial capability to operate in two regulatory systems?
• What would success in aged care look like in three years?

If diversification is approached strategically and with the right preparation, it can create strong long-term opportunities.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a registered home care provider presents a genuine opportunity for growth, but it requires a clear understanding of homecare compliance and the aged care provider registration process. Providers who approach this transition with strong preparation, realistic expectations, and the right support are far more likely to succeed in a more complex regulatory environment.

At Engels Floyd, we work alongside organisations as an experienced aged care registration consultant, helping you navigate homecare registration, strengthen your systems, and prepare for audit with confidence. If you are considering becoming an aged care provider, now is the time to assess your readiness and take the next step with the right guidance.

Book a consultation with our team to understand how to become an aged care service provider and move forward with clarity and confidence.