‘Aged care home every three days’: grants target just two regions

Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler consistently says Australia needs to build a new aged care facility every three days for the next 20 years.

The reality is proving much tougher to deliver.

Aged Care and Seniors Minister Sam Rae has announced the latest round of the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP), which will provide funding to two regions: Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and the NSW Hunter Valley region, with a population of 682,465, according to the 2021 Census.

In March, the Federal Government had revealed a new $115 million round of the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP), with targeted grants for four regions with the country’s most acute aged care bed shortages.

The first round targeting Adelaide and NSW’s Illawarra region opened on 13 March, with interested parties having six weeks to submit proposals. The second round is now open, with operators in the Hunter Valley region and Perth having until 14 July to submit a EOI.

Priority is given to operators that can deliver additional beds quickly by building, upgrading, expanding or reconfiguring residential care homes (including homes that are temporarily closed).

Interested parties must commit to having the new aged care beds built and open within two years to help address immediate pressures on hospitals.

Acute shortages

Despite record spending on hospitals, virtual outpatient care models, and a promised no-interest or low-interest loan program, the number of hospital patients stranded in South Australia’s hospitals continues to rise. Data for the week to 1 June shows 426 stranded patients, a record high.

And the Illawarra has long been identified as having among the highest number of stranded patients in the nation. Community Industry Group, a Not For Profit that advocates for community organisations in the Illawarra/Shoalhaven, is expected to release its second report shortly, detailing aged care shortages in the region.

More beds, faster

Minister Rae said this week’s announcement is the result of the Government identifying areas where bed capacity is most urgently needed, and is aimed at supporting the sector “build more beds, faster”.

EOI documents, including instructions on how to participate in the process, are available on GrantConnect.