More elderly residents in Griffith will have the opportunity to lay their heads at Pioneers Lodge with the lodge set to receive 20 new aged care bed licences.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"This is 20 more bed licences, there will be capital to be raised (by Pioneers Lodge) to put the beds in place, but once it's there, there will be 20 more bed licences from the commonwealth," Member for Farrer Sussan Ley said.
Pioneers' general manager Jane Bonny said the creation of the new beds will allow the lodge to care for a total of 115 residents most of whom will come from Griffith, Barellan and Binya.
The new beds will mean 20 new single room en-suites will have to be built as well as additional car park space.
Ms Bonny predicts the new suits will cost the non for profit lodge $8 million to build, and will have to be finished within the next four years as part of the requirements set by the application for the new bed licences.
The deadline is a measure to prevent aged care services from holding onto to their licences without using them.
"It's always been challenging getting (licences) it's a very competitive environment we're just excited that we got 20 beds allocated," Ms Bonny said.
Ms Bonny said the Lodge currently employs 14 registered nurses and 116 other staff all of whom have certificates required for aged care.
Sussan Ley said "this is something the commonwealth does usually twice a year, allocating new beds, but this round had a particular focus which was rural and regional."
"We have more rural and regional bed licences allocated this year than ever before, it is actually more difficult to run regional aged care than it is in the city," Ms Ley said.
When asked whether she would be interested in lobbying for more funding to help encourage more registered nurses to take up work in rural aged care Ms Ley said "it would depend on the scheme."
"I am conscious that governments have to live in their budgetary means, it would be the easiest thing in the world for a local member to say yes we will deliver more funding but I think our aged care minister has really increased rural and regional aged care funding," Ms Ley said.
"A small aged care facility in my electorate has received $4.6 million with this round of funding, it is in Barellan, because it is very small and very local and we do not want it to be taken over by bigger provider."
Regarding the royal commission into aged care Ms Bonny said she believes the commission has been overwhelmingly positive for the industry.
She is especially excited in regards to the restructuring of the standards required for aged care facilities to better service consumers which will be put into effect July.
"The old standards were all policy based, (concerned) with what was happening on the desk as opposed to what was happening on the floor," Ms Bonny said.
"The new standards are now all consumer focused, it's all about how our clinical expectations meet the carers expectations, our human resources, our feedback and complaint processes are all (centered) around the outcome for the consumer.
"That's why they have changed the standards, it's now meeting consumer expectations and providing the best possible care to the consumer."
Ms Ley said another important result from the royal commission has been the allowance of more unannounced quality inspections, which she believes will mean fewer lapses the standards of aged care across the country.
Related
While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Monday at 6am from The Area News? To make sure you're up to date with all the Griffith and MIA news you can sign up here.