Joint Media Release
Residents in aged care homes in metropolitan Adelaide will benefit from further Australian Government funding to help improve fire safety and building standards.
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22 July 2004 | JB129/04 |
Funding boost for local aged care homes
Residents in aged care homes in metropolitan Adelaide will benefit from further Australian Government funding to help improve fire safety and building standards.
The Federal Minister for Ageing, Julie Bishop, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing and Federal Member for Adelaide, Ms Trish Worth, today presented Eldercare Incorporated, which runs Eldercare The Lodge, with $2,463,416 for the nine homes it operates.
"This funding, which represents $3,500 per resident, is part of more than $513 million allocated to aged care providers in a one-off payment to help them improve safety standards in aged care homes," Ms Bishop said.
"The funding is part of the Australian Government's $2.2 billion record funding package, Investing in Australia's Aged Care: More Places, Better Care.
"Eldercare Incorporated will be able to use the funding to improve building standards and fire safety in the homes, which will help ensure residents continue to receive high quality care in an appropriate and safe environment."
Ms Worth said the homes could use the funding for a range of fire safety measures, such as installing fire sprinklers, updating fire safety equipment, engaging a professional fire safety consultant or improving fire safety training for staff.
"They may also use the funding to upgrade buildings to meet the benchmarks set by the 10- year forward plan for 2008 building certification," Ms Worth said.
"This one-off funding will help ensure local residents and their families can have peace of mind knowing that their home will continue to meet the new building and fire safety standards that will be implemented across the nation."
Investing in Australia's Aged Care: More Places, Better Care includes:
- An extra $877.8 million, on top of the annually-indexed care subsidy, to aged care providers to help them continue to provide quality care and pay competitive wages to staff;
- An extra 27,900 new aged care places over the next three years, including 13,030 in 2004-05;
- Almost $1 billion, including $513 million ($3,500 per resident) in June 2004, in extra Australian Government funding for aged care providers to build new homes and upgrade existing ones to meet 2008 standards particularly in relation to fire and safety; and
- More than $100 million for increased education and training opportunities for aged care nurses and other staff, including 1600 new undergraduate nursing places at universities.
This contrasts with Labor which, in 13 years of Government, neglected aged care, left office with a 10,000 aged care place shortage, failed to introduce national legislated care standards and refused to act when an independent report found nursing homes delivering poor quality care. Labor still has no aged care policy.
Media contacts: Rachael Thompson (Ms Bishop) 02 6277 7280 or 0417 265 289
Mark Williams (Ms Worth) 08 8223 1130 or 0401 147 558