WA bed shortage
The federal government has lost control of the planning needs of Western Australia’s aged care sector and is significantly failing older West Australians, according to Stephen Kobelke, chief executive of WA’s not for profit aged care body.
The federal government has lost control of the planning needs of Western Australia’s aged care sector and is significantly failing older West Australians, according to Stephen Kobelke, chief executive of WA’s not for profit aged care body.
Mr Kobelke’s comments follow the recent announcement that only 80 in home care places – which are basically funding packages to provide older people with home care – out of a possible 5,835 were allocated for West Australian aged care providers, with the remainder distributed in other states.
This figure is further impacted by the disclosure of the number of new residential places (funding for nursing homes beds) by the recently appointed Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Jacinta Collins, as part of the 2012-13 Aged Care Approvals Round.
In total, 811 new residential places were allocated to WA aged care facilities, when in comparison there were 1,413 on offer throughout Western Australia – a major deficit representing the significant shortfall of new investment being made by WA aged care providers into a sector which they say is financially unviable.
“This shortfall further impacts the previous deficits which have occurred over the last five years, and means that WA now has 3,970 aged care beds less than it requires, the equivalent of five Fiona Stanley Hospitals,” says Stephen Kobelke, of Aged and Community Services WA.
“And so for the fifth year running WA has a major problem in that close to 4,000 elderly West Australians can’t access residential care in WA at this point in time, a figure which is incredibly disappointing.”
Mr Kobelke adds the bed allocation and in home care shortfalls are particularly disturbing given the federal government’s aged care reforms have recently passed through Parliament – demonstrating that providers in WA have serious doubts about any improvements to the financial viability and sustainability of the aged care sector as a result of the new legislation.
“West Australians have felt the brunt of the inadequacies of the current system for many years, especially given the state’s size and remoteness and the unique circumstances that WA faces in terms of our booming economy and workforce shortage, and these figures certainly reflect a very bleak picture of our age care system,” he adds.
“Older West Australians deserve the right to age well and we urge both political parties to make aged care a major priority in the forthcoming election and commit to real and lasting changes, as recommended by the Productivity Commission’s recommendations in its Caring for Older Australians report.”
