AN Ipswich MP is calling on the Federal Department of Health to amend the classification system for aged care facilities.
Federal Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann, told parliament last week, that the classification of aged care facilities like Cabanda Care in rural Ipswich were disadvantaged by the classification system.
“[Cabanda Care in Rosewood] has been able to secure funding for additional beds and has been hamstrung by the government’s inadequate funding classification system.
“Unlike other classification models in the Health Department and other government departments, this funding is based on local government [boundaries].”
Under that system, Rosewood, which is in the Ipswich City local government area, has the same rating for Federal Government subsidies and supplements as city-based aged care facilities.
“This means they are rated No 2 while it should be rated No 4 [which attracts higher subsidies and supplements] like Gatton and Kingaroy or No 5 like Boonah, Laidley, Kalbar and Harrisville [which attracts an even higher Federal Government subsidy],” Mr Neumann said.
“Cabanda Care is the biggest employer in the town of Rosewood.
“I urge the government to look at equity of classification systems.”
Cabanda Care is a community run facility which currently has 71 residential aged care beds, 52 independent living units and employs 140 staff.
“They've been hit by rising Covid costs, and of course Covid among staff and residents, exacerbated by the failure of this government in relation to PPE and Rapid Antigen Tests,” Mr Neumann said.
“The Covid costs are crippling them”
Mr Neumann said he acknowledged Health Minister Greg Hunt’s office.
“We’ve reached out to him seeking urgent assistance for this small community-run facility, which of course has had to buy, at great cost, essential PPE and RATs to meet daily requirements.”
Mr Neumann made these comments in a speech which damned the Federal Government’s handling of the crisis in aged care.
“There have been 622 residents of aged care facilities who have died from Covid this year, and we’re only in early February.
“As at Friday [February 4], almost 12,000 aged-care residents and workers were infected with COVID at more than 1,100 facilities.
“Currently, tens of thousands of residents are still waiting for a booster, and up to a quarter of shifts are going unfilled.”