Senior Australians in areas of need will benefit from the availability of new government subsidised aged care places released as part of the 2020 Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR).
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said the Government is committed to delivering further targeted aged care places and investment in quality building-stock.
Ten thousand new residential care places and 750 short-term restorative care spots will be offered under the 2020 ACAR.
Another $60 million will be used to assist residential aged care providers with building works.
A targeted stakeholder consultation for the 2020 ACAR starts today and remains open until January 31, 2020.
“The consultations will help identify unmet needs for residential aged care in terms of both geographic locations and the types of people whose needs should be targeted,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Increasing the number of residential places in areas where they are in short supply will help to ensure people have a safe option, as close to home as possible.
“We also want to make sure that care is accessible for people who may be missing out — whether it’s because they are homeless, they have dementia, or they come from different cultural backgrounds.”
National peak aged care organisations, Aged Care Assessment Teams, Primary Health Networks, local councils, consumer groups and approved providers are invited to take part.
Organisations which are not initially invited to take part in the consultation can access the consultation survey by contacting the Department of Health.
New and prospective providers will then have two months between March and May 2020 — the longest application period ever provided — to develop and submit their proposals.
Minister Colbeck said improvements and possible changes to the system for allocating residential care places were being considered, but in the meantime it is important to maintain a future supply of residential care places.
“It can take a number of years for places to be brought online after they are allocated. The 2020 ACAR is an important element of meeting future need for residential care in Australia,” he said.
More information about the 2020 ACAR is available on the Department of Health website.