Disability support and aged care provider Vivere had been providing services to people in the ACT and on the NSW South Coast for over 10 years, but went into liquidation on 26 October, leaving between 30 to 40 Canberra clients without services.
While the Department of Health issued a statement saying that “immediate action was undertaken to ensure the welfare of those affected” when the Government was notified on 24 October – two days before the closure – one disabled client has told the Canberra Times she was left with no home care for over a week.
A spokesperson for the Department said Vivere was a Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) provider, not a Home Care Packages (HCP) provider, and its closure “happened suddenly and was not expected.”
“The Department of Health sourced alternative providers to take on Vivere clients as soon as possible,” they said.
A scenario we could see play out again as competition between home care providers continues to heat up and margins are attacked.
