All aged care articles
Aged care funding cuts
Wednesday, 4th July, 2012
Southern Cross Care CEO Allan Carter says cuts to aged care funding will hurt providers
By Erica Visser
Cuts to aged care funding will be detrimental to local providers and inevitably result in job losses, according to Southern Cross Care CEO Allan Carter.
The Federal Government unveiled the plans to slash funding in its recent budget in a bid to save around half a billion dollars.
It is expected that the reforms would cost a small nursing home an average of $57,000 per year.
Bed sale on hold
Monday, 5th March, 2012
By Erica Visser
The decision on whether City Council will sell its 40 aged care bed licenses “is not going to happen overnight” or even by the next round of federal funding, according to Council’s General Manager Frank Zaknich.
Council last month received a report on the viability of its Shorty O’Neil Village as an aged care facility.
It suggested that Council’s deficit could be greatly reduced if it was to sell its bed licences to a private operator.
‘Don’t dump beds’
Thursday, 2nd February, 2012
Black calls on Labor councillor to oppose aged care transfer
By Erica Visser
Former Broken Hill mayor, Peter Black, has urged Labor Councillor Darriea Turley to oppose the privatisation of 40 local aged care beds in order to sink the plan.
Mr Black is still to decide whether he will try to return to local politics and run for mayor in the September elections.
His comments came amidst a debate over whether City Council should pass the licenses for 40 Shorty O’Neil beds to a new site which would be run by private organisation, Southern Cross Care.
Union slams aged care beds proposal
Tuesday, 31st January, 2012
The Town Employees’ Union says it is “extremely concerned” about recent statements concerning a proposal to transfer the licences of 40 aged care beds from Shorty O’Neil Village.
People should be aware of the impact that the proposal by Southern Cross Care (SCC) would have on the residents and employees of Shorty O’Neil Village as well as the local businesses that supply products to the village, the union said.
“It is still very fresh in our minds the adverse effect on former employees of SCC when SCC made the snap decision to outsource their catering and laundry services to Medirest,” said TEU Secretary, Ros Ferry.
Mayor backs SCC plan
Friday, 6th January, 2012
By Darrin Manuel
The handover of 40 aged care licences to Southern Cross Care (SCC) would cost Council around $1.5 million in government funding according to Councillor Tom Kennedy.
SCC has proposed to take over Council’s 40 aged care licences, lobby the government for a grant and an additional 20 aged care licences, and build a new aged care facility at the former Alma Pool site.
Cr Kennedy said the loss of Council’s licences would remove revenue generated from Shorty O’Neil Village, and result in the community losing the facility.
