10,000 new home care packages is great news, but $320 million funding for residential age care should be tied to staffing, says COTA Australia CEO Ian Yates.
The Australian Government has announcement it will bring forward funding for 10,000 more home care packages, providing support and care to older Australians at home – bringing the total number of additional packages over the last year to 40,000.
COTA Chief Executive Ian Yates said, “While more packages are needed to achieve our target of a maximum three months wait, this is another significant step forward that will have a real impact on waiting times for people who need support and care to stay at home safely”.
Mr Yates said COTA also welcomed $320 million in extra funding for residential aged care providers but expressed concern that government has not tied this to better staffing, saying that “it is disappointing there are no conditions attached to require providers to use the additional funding to increase staff numbers and/or support workforce training and development programs that will lift the standard of care in Australian nursing homes”.
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