Thousands of new aged-care places made available

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26 March 2007
CP23 /07

Thousands of new aged care places to be made available across Australia were announced today by the Minister for Ageing, Christopher Pyne.

“More than 32,000 new places will be provided over the next three years to help meet the needs of older Australians seeking fair and affordable access to high-quality aged-care services,” Mr Pyne said. “Once operational, these places are worth $1 billion a year in Australian Government funding.”

“A total of 10,734 places will be made available for allocation in 2007-08 through the 2007 Aged Care Approvals Round. These have an estimated annual recurrent funding value of more than $330 million.

Making the announcement at an aged care facility in the ACT, Mr Pyne said the new release was an integral part of the Government’s $1.5 billion Securing the future of Aged Care for Australians reform package.

“We have raised the bar. As part of this package, the Government’s planning benchmark has been increased from 108 to 113 places for every 1,000 people aged 70 years or over,” he said. “The adjustment also increases the community care component of this from 20 to 25 places.”

The reform package also increases the investment in residential high care, including an additional $755 million in capital funding over four years, and increases the residential high-care ratio from 40 to 44 places for every 1,000 people aged 70 years or over.

“I expect that up to two-thirds of the more than 6,800 new residential places made available in the 2007 Round will be allocated as high-care places,” Mr Pyne said. “Of course, this will depend on the department receiving quality applications for high care places.”

Details of the places to be released in the relevant Aged Care Approvals Round are attached. Applications for new places and capital grants for 2007-08 are to be invited on 14 April. The closing date for applications for community care places will be mid to late May, while the closing date for residential places and capital grants will be early June.

“The split round will allow early allocation of community care places in line with the Government’s commitment to expand community care. The later closing date for residential applications recognises the additional complexity of these applications,” Mr Pyne said.

“Under the Retirement Village – Ageing in Place initiative, retirement village operators are encouraged to apply for community aged care places for their residents in the 2007 Aged Care Approvals Round, if necessary in partnership with organisations already providing such care. Operators will need to show that the village environment permits ageing-in-place, that continuity and quality of care are assured, and indicate what other benefits they can make available to residents,” Mr Pyne said.

“It’s been demonstrated through a pilot program that providing community aged care to people living in retirement villages can help them to remain in their community, rather than having to move into residential aged care. This is the sort of choice that older Australians want, and the Government is committed to expanding care options wherever possible.”

Further information about the 2007 Aged Care Approvals Round will be posted on the department’s web site at www.health.gov.au/acar2007 as it becomes available.

Media contact: Adam Howard – 0400 414 833

	2007-08				2008-09*	2009-10*
State or territory	Residential	CACP	EACH	Total	Total	Total
New South Wales	2,043	855	545	3,443	3,287	2,616
Victoria	1,472	569	384	2,425	2,342	1,663
Queensland	1,582	429	274	2,285	3,285	1,997
Western Australia	1,006	220	143	1,369	1,919	999
South Australia	372	167	122	661	416	400
Tasmania	167	47	43	257	206	182
Aust Capital Territory	158	25	35	218	214	135
Northern Territory	11	15	20	46	59	75
Totals	6,811	2327	1566	10,704**	11,728	8,067

Note: ‘CACP’ is a Community Aged Care Package which provides the equivalent of low-level care in the home; ‘EACH’ includes Extended Aged Care at Home packages and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia packages, both of which provide the equivalent of high-level care in the home.

* The out-year figures in this table are indicative only. There may be some variations in these indicative figures in future years due to possible revised annual population projections and the actual rate at which previously allocated places become operational.

** An additional 30 places will be created to be included in the 2007 ACAR. A special announcement in relation to these places will be made in the near future.