The leader of the family-owned aged care provider called on the Government of Western Australia to make its $100 million low-interest loan facility, expected to come online early next year, available annually to help providers meet the incoming surge in demand for aged care beds from Baby Boomers.
"We are under-resourced. We're undercapitalized, we're underfunded in this state," said Graeme Prior AM, CEO of Hall & Prior, about the WA aged care sector.
"Premier (Roger) Cook did promise to fund 500 new concessional beds and put $100 million in a down payment for that. But my advice to the Premier is, you need to do that every year for the next ten years."
Graeme made the comments at the opening of Hall & Prior's 11-bed respite facility at Wycombe Grove facility in High Wycombe, 15km east of the Perth CBD, part of the Government's Time to Think progam.
The opening was attended by Premier Roger Cook and WA's Aged Care Minister Simone McGurk, who said tenders for the $100 million low-interest loan facility are expected to be awarded early next year, with the program to come online soon afterwards.
It's estimated that by 2030, Western Australia will need an additional 2,800 aged care beds - the equivalent of about 28 new aged care homes. In WA in the last five years, only 1,194 places have been added according to GEN data - half the amount needed in the next five years.
Graeme said, "The sector is working very hard. It's under extreme pressure and we do need more funding."
The Time to Think program has supported 100 patients since it launched in May, freeing up 1,100 hospital bed days.
The milestone was passed as the state set another record: ambulances were ramped outside Western Australian hospitals in August for 7,075 hours, the highest number ever. With residential aged care beds close to full, there are an estimated 200 WA hospital patients well enough to be discharged but waiting for an aged care bed.
Cook and McGurk met with the Federal Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, Mark Butler, and the Federal Minister for Aged Care, Sam Rae, last month, seeking a "fair share" of Home Care Packages for Western Australia. Rae has promised to visit the state.
