Southern Cross Care QLD (SCCQ) welcomes the recommendations handed down today in the Aged Care Taskforce report on funding of the sector and we were pleased to see the report had a strong focus on regional Australia.
SCCQ Chief Executive Officer Jason Eldering said aged care provisions in regional Australia have been left behind when it comes to funding.
“The recommendations of the Aged Care Taskforce are a step in the right direction in ensuring we have a sustainable future for the sector,” Mr Eldering said.
“It is imperative that we continue to tackle the challenges faced across the entire aged care sector, with regional providers facing different costs to those in metropolitan areas.
“Construction and housing are more expensive in the regions. The median price of a home in many regional areas is around $200,000 which doesn’t come close to the value of a house in any of the major centres.
“For aged care in our regions to be successful and sustainable, we need a strong partnership with Government to support providers in delivering a level of care that is the same as it is in metropolitan areas.
“It is pleasing to see the Taskforce outlined the need to consider the remoteness classification system and continue block funding for areas where services are in short supply, like they are in our regions.
“Aged care providers across regional, rural and remote areas face different challenges to those in cities and more densely populated areas. We need a funding model that takes this into account and delivers security for the sector right across the board.”
Mr Eldering said, “The Australian Government needs to be courageous and back the recommendations made in this report for the future of aged care in this country.”
“For a long time funding for aged care has been inadequate but if we can do the hard work now and get it right, we will have a service that all Australians can rely on later in life, no matter where they are in the country.
“We need government to come to the table to make sure people have access to the same level of care in the regions as they do in the cities.”
Southern Cross Care Queensland is a leading aged care provider, operating across Queensland. SCCQ employs more than 1,200 staff who provide services for more than 2,300 people through a network which includes 13 aged care facilities, five retirement villages and home care services.
SCCQ
