The Department of Health is seeking input from a wide range of aged care stakeholders to ensure new residential aged care places are located where they are most needed, particularly in respect to specific geographic locations, special needs and other key issue groups.
The Department of Health national consultation process began on Tuesday and aims to ensure that the thousands of new residential aged care places outlined in last week’s Federal Budget announcement end up where they are required.
Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt said a wide range of aged care stakeholders were invited to take part, to help inform the 2018–19 Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR).
Funding for aged care will increase by $5 billion over the next four years, including money for 13,500 new residential aged care places, 775 short-term restorative care places and a further $60 million in capital investment, to be made available in this ACAR.
Mr Wyatt said the results of the consultation would help guide the distribution and targeting of new places and capital grants in each state and territory.
“We are keen to hear about the gaps in current aged care availability, not just in terms of locations but in terms of special needs and the requirements of particular groups, such as people from regional, rural and remote areas, and people living with dementia,” Mr Wyatt said.
National peak aged care organisations, aged care assessment teams, primary health networks, local councils, consumer groups and aged care approved providers are among those who will be invited to take part.
Organisations which are not initially invited to take part in the targeted consultations can access the survey by emailing the Department of Health at [email protected].
The consultation period will close for submissions on 28 May.
Where would you like to see the Government spend the extra $5 billion of aged care funding? Should more money be spent on caring for dementia patients?
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