Strategic Growth Under Support at Home: Unpacking Underutilised Channels

Where the Sector is Now

With the Support at Home program now underway, many providers are moving past the initial disruption and shifting from compliance mode to strategic planning. 

Executive teams and boards are asking: 

Where are the real growth opportunities? 

Operational confidence is returning, investment activity is picking up, and structural decisions that had been on hold are now progressing.

But as organisations look to grow, it’s worth addressing a common misconception: that simply getting bigger will fix profitability problems. In our view, this is rarely true in home care. 

Because most costs are variable, scaling up a low-performing model just increases the losses. Unless underlying performance improves, revenue growth doesn’t translate to financial strength.

A More Favourable Starting Position

The good news is that many providers have used the uncertain period between January 2022 and November 2025 to do just that. They’ve streamlined systems, reshaped service models, and built more sustainable internal settings. For those organisations, the new environment presents a clear opportunity.

A lot of the early energy around growth has gone into high-cost channels, particularly digital acquisition and M&A. But two of the most effective, lowest-risk options are already sitting within reach for many providers: the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) and the Retirement Living channel. They involve known audiences, lower acquisition costs, and don’t require a large marketing infrastructure. 

Where Growth Is Often Missed

The Retirement Living channel, in particular, presents an outsized opportunity for margin improvement. 

Organisations can:

• offer group-based services to stretch resident budgets further
• design preventative programs to benefit residents
• consolidate staffing arrangements to reduce costs and provide a better employee value proposition

When we ask executives how many residents in their retirement living communities are receiving care — and from whom — the answer is often unclear. 

On closer review, we often find competitors providing services onsite, or the organisation delivering care in the same way it does externally. Both scenarios typically lead to higher costs and a weaker resident experience. 

In our experience, providers frequently overlook the strategic advantage embedded within their own communities. While external growth has its place, many organisations could achieve stronger results by refining how they serve the people and places they already know well.

The reverse approach to growth is also true, with an increasing number of our residential aged care and home care clients talking to us about options to build new retirement living accommodation options that are heavily integrated with their other service lines from day one. 

There is no universal blueprint for growth. But the most effective organisations are thinking carefully about what they already have, and how to use it better.

Want to Explore Growth Strategies Further? 

Join Our Upcoming Workshops

In collaboration with Ageing Australia, we’re hosting a two-part executive webinar series facilitated by Jason Howie, exploring practical growth pathways in home care under the Support at Home reforms.

Webinar 1 | Organic Growth (24 February, 12-1pm AEDT)
This session explores how organisations can build a viable business by strengthening internal capability and differentiating their market approach. It addresses the prerequisites for growth, the real cost of customer acquisition, and how to design scalable service models. Participants will examine segmentation choices, capability depth, and how enabling systems and structures must align to support sustainable expansion.

Webinar 2 | Mergers & Acquisitions (24 March, 12-1pm AEDT)
This session unpacks current merger and acquisition trends in the home care sector, providing a strategic lens on when and how to consider acquisition or partnership. It covers key drivers of consolidation, common deal structures, and the often-overlooked risks associated with integration and cultural fit. Practical insights are shared on how to assess strategic alignment, manage due diligence, and establish a disciplined pathway for growth through external means.

Designed for C-suite leaders, board directors, strategy and senior executives.

Learn more and register here