General News
2 February, 2023
Community input called for as council undertakes review of its aged care services
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has commenced a review of its aged care service delivery amid changing government support for the sector, which has seen similar small councils opt out of delivering services to residents. The Australian...
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has commenced a review of its aged care service delivery amid changing government support for the sector, which has seen similar small councils opt out of delivering services to residents.
The Australian Government’s introduced aged care reforms are set to make significant changes to the funding and delivery of aged care services from July 1, 2024, including those currently delivered by the Central Goldfields Shire Council.
Council currently receives funding from the Federal Government to deliver home care services which includes meals on wheels, domestic assistance, in-house respite care and others, with changes from next year meaning residents will be able to choose an aged care provider that may not be council.
This means that for council to remain a provider of some of all community-based aged care services, it would need to compete for available funding, retain current clients and attract new clients for its services to remain viable.
Neighbouring councils, including in the Pyrenees Shire, have already made the decision to withdraw from providing aged care services in the community, choosing instead to bring external service providers in.
Council’s general manager community wellbeing Emma Little said a more competitive market could limit council’s ability to provide services.
“The Commonwealth Government are making changes to the aged care model as of 2024 and it’s not so much about councils deciding to continue their service delivery, it’s whether we can continue to operate in a more competitive market and enter into a whole new service deliver model,” she said.
“Clients will have the opportunity for example to choose one service provider to deliver one type of service and another provider to deliver something else in a much more competitive market.”
Ahead of the reforms, council is looking to better understand community views on in-home and aged care services, with a review now underway to determine council’s service delivery options moving forward.
“We’re looking at service delivery for the shire not just over the next couple of years, but how it will look into the future,” Ms Little said.
“Our residents are being offered the opportunity at the moment to look at what good service delivery looks like to them.
“This is the opportunity to shape up what the future needs look like, what good service delivery looks like and that can inform the search for who is best to provide those services — whether it be council or someone else in the future.”
Ms Little said council waited as long as possible before commencing the review process.
“We have left this decision making process as late as we can to be sure the information we have is the most relevant and up-to-date it can be given the continued changes to these reforms,” she said.
“The important thing is that there will be no impact to service delivery in the community — if council needs to make the decision to step away from service delivery, then there will be other service providers to step into that space.”
A survey, open until Friday, February 17, is currently available for residents to provide feedback through.
Residents and their supports can get a hard copy of the survey from their care worker, main reception at council offices, through the community bus or at the Maryborough Regional
Library and must be returned to the council offices in Nolan Street by 5 pm on February 17.
The survey is also available online through engage.cgoldshire.vic.gov.au/agedcarereview.
A drop in session will also take place from 11 am until 2 pm on Friday, February 17 at Mill House in Maryborough.