Frequently Ask Questions

If you are needing assistance to get to Medical appointments, Shopping Bus and Social Bus trips HART Services can assist you.

Medical Transport Assistance

What you need to do:

Call our Medical Transport team and register your name to use Medical Transport on
1300 874 278.

Community Bus

Community Buses run each week from Bonalbo, Jubullum/Tabulam and Muli Muli

What you need to do:

Call our First Nations Coordinator and speak to Sue on 0427 900 038.

Group Shopping Bus Trips

What you need to do:

Call our Group Services Manager and speak to Margot on 02 6628 0127.

Social Support – one on one assisted shopping

If you need assistance with shopping a support worker assisting you.

Call our Client Care Services Manager and speak to Alex on 0411 799 190.

Group Social Bus Trips

What you need to do:

Call our Group Services Manager and speak to Margot on 02 6628 0127.

Group Social Bus Trips

If you need assistance at home with a support worker assisting you.
If you are unwell and can’t travel please call the department area that you are booked with:

Medical Transport Assistance

Call our Medical Transport team on 1300 874 278 and let them know you are unwell and can’t travel.

Group Shopping Bus or Social Bus Trips

Call our Group Services Manager and speak to Margot on 02 6628 0127 and let her know you are unwell and can’t travel.

Home Care Package

Call our Client Care Services Manager and speak to Alex on 0411 799 190 and let her know you are unwell.

What you need to do:

Call our Client Care Services Manager and speak to Alex on 0411 799 190.

We have a range of vehicles and buses available to meet our client’s mobility needs. When making your appointment please let our staff know you have a wheelie walker or wheelchair that will need to travel with you.
Our drivers and bus assistants/attendants are trained in assisting clients with mobility impairments, including assisting clients with wheelie walkers.
All of our shopping and social buses offer a door-to-door service.

What you need to do:

Call our Medical Transport team and register your name to use Medical Transport on
1300 874 278.
As soon as you have a medical appointment that you need assistance to give HART Services a call to book your trip in (must be at least 2 business days before appointment)

Please have the following information handy when you call to make a booking:
• Date and time of your appointment;
• Appointment address of the destination;
• How long your appointment will be for;
• If a carer or support person will be travelling with you;
• If you need to stop at a chemist on the way home.

Group Shopping Bus or Social Bus Trips

What you need to do:

Call our Group Services Manager and speak to Margot on 02 6628 0127.

Call our Client Care Services Manager and speak to Alex on 0411 799 190.

If you are unwell and can’t travel please call the department area that you are booked with:

Medical Transport Assistance

Call our Medical Transport team on 1300 874 278 and let them know you are unwell and can’t travel.

Group Shopping Bus or Social Bus Trips

Call our Group Services Manager and speak to Margot on 02 6628 0127 and let her know you are unwell and can’t travel.

Home Care Package

Call our Client Care Services Manager and speak to Alex on 0411 799 190 and let her know you are unwell.

Call our Medical Transport team on 1300 874 278 and let them know the new time and date. (late changes (less than 2 day’s notice) we won’t always be able to make the changes)

Medical Transport 
CHSP and CTP

• 0km – 20km: $15.00 return trip
• 21km – 40km: $30.00 return trip
• 41km – 80km: $35.00 return trip
• 81km – 120km: $40.00 return trip
• Kilometres over 120kms are charged on a per km rate of $0.35 per km
• Gold Coast $100.00 return trip
• Brisbane: $250.00 return trip

Brokered trips and Home Care Packages are invoiced differently

Shopping Bus Trip Outings

• $10.00 return trip

Social Bus Trip Outings

• 1/2 day social outing: $15.00 (Home Care Packages are invoiced differently)
• Full day social outing: $22.00 (Home Care Packages are invoiced differently)

• Card is the preferred option. Payment can be made over the phone when you make a booking or pay your driver on the day
• Cash;
• Regional Seniors Travel Card;
• Cheque – by arrangement.

Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)

Funded by Australian Government – Department of Health and Aged Care

The CHSP is an entry-level home support program that helps older people to live independently in their homes and communities. It also provides respite services to give carers a break.

The program aims to:

• help people live as independently as possible
• focus on working with them, rather than doing things for them
• give a small amount of help to a large number of people.

The CHSP is for frail older Australians who need support to live independently at home and are either:

• aged 65 years or over (50 or over for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples) and have functional limitations and need assistance
• prematurely aged (50 years or older; 45 years or older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) and are on a low income, homeless, or at risk of being homeless as a result of housing stress or not having secure accommodation.

The CHSP also supports carers by providing planned respite services for CHSP recipients. This allows carers to take a break from their caring duties.

The CHSP can provide services such as:

• help around the house
• transport
• meals
• personal care
• home modifications
• social support
• nursing and allied health
• planned respite care.

Home Care Packages (HCP)
Funded by Australian Government – Department of Health and Aged Care:

Home Care Packages (HCP) are one of the ways that older Australians can access affordable care services to get some help at home. They are designed for those with more complex care needs that go beyond what the Commonwealth Home Support Programme can provide.

It uses a consumer-directed care approach to make sure the support suits a person’s needs and goals.

The support is provided through a Home Care Package – a coordinated mix of services that can include:

• help with household tasks
• equipment (such as walking frames)
• minor home modifications
• personal care
• clinical care such as nursing, allied health and physiotherapy services.

There are 4 levels of Home Care Packages – from level 1 for basic care needs to level 4 for high care needs.

The Australian Government provides funding for Home Care Packages under the:

• Aged Care Act 1997
• Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997

If you’re an older person and want to find out more, go to Home Care Packages on the My Aged Care website. To find out if you’re eligible for government-funded aged care services, you can apply for an assessment online.

We know that most people want to stay at home for as long as possible as they get older. To support this, the program subsidises:

• in-home aged care services
• services to help people stay connected with their community.

Community Transport Program (CTP)

Funded by NSW Government – Transport for NSW

The Community Transport Program (CTP) assists individuals who are transport disadvantaged owing to physical, social, cultural and/or geographic factors.  Individuals who do not qualify for other support programs may be eligible for community transport.

CTP is funded by the NSW Government and aims to address transport disadvantages at the local level via community transport organisations.

Eligibility: This program is not age restrictive (any age)

Minors must be accompanied by their parent or carer and use mandatory child restraints for their age.

• People whose physical health status renders them with a permanent or temporary mobility disability that leaves them unable to use conventional transport systems.
• A temporary medical issue can mean an operation or medical condition that limits driving or access to public transport, e.g. a child with the injury that would make public transport unreasonable, a broken limb or the need to attend a medical procedure where they will be unable to drive or take public transport, an operation under general anaesthetic where the patient cannot drive.
• People who live in villages of less than 500 people that do not have access to conventional transport systems.
• People who need to access community facilities and resources, which are not available within the hours when conventional public transport operates.

Call our Volunteer Coordinator and speak to Liz on 02 6628 8572.

If you’re 55 or older

If you’re 55 or older you can meet your full-time mutual obligation requirements through approved voluntary work or a combination of these activities. It depends on your age and circumstances.

When you’re between 55 and 59
Your options for meeting your mutual obligation requirements depend on how long you’ve been on your payment.

Less than 12 months on your current income support payment
If you’re between 55 and 59 you can meet your mutual obligation requirements through one or more of these activities:

30 hours per fortnight of a combination of approved voluntary work and suitable paid work including self-employment, at least 15 hours of which must be paid work.

12 months or more on your current income support payment
When you’ve been on your current payment for 12 months, your options for meeting your requirements change.

You can meet your mutual obligation requirements through any of these:

• 30 hours per fortnight of approved voluntary work
• 30 hours per fortnight of a combination of approved voluntary work and suitable paid work, including self-employment.

When you turn 60

If you’re 60 or older, you can meet your mutual obligation requirements through any of these:

• 30 hours per fortnight of approved voluntary work
• 30 hours per fortnight of a combination of approved voluntary work and suitable paid work, including self-employment.

My Aged Care is your starting point to access government-funded aged care services.

Whatever your situation, specific needs, or background, we can help you understand what types of services are available – from services that help you live independently at home to short-term care that helps you get back on your feet, to moving into an aged care home when you can no longer live at home.

Once you have the information you need, you can call us to discuss your needs and find out if you require an assessment. If you do, an assessor will come to your home for a face-to-face assessment to work out what services you are eligible for.

We can also help you estimate the fees you may have to pay, and what service providers are available near you.

Wherever you are on your aged care journey, My Aged Care can help you get started.

Find the help you need with My Aged Care.

Go to myagedcare.gov.au   or call 1800 200 422.