Council commits to aged care service delivery

Published on 24 May 2024

Colac Otway Shire Council will continue to play a role in aged care services for the community after a decision at its meeting on Wednesday night.

CEO Anne Howard said Council confirmed its intention to continue to have a role in the provision of aged care services and will now prepare for delivery under the Support at Home program and other reforms being introduced by the Commonwealth Government.

“Council considered three options in relation to our Older Persons and Abilities Support Services, and these were detailed in a report that was shared with staff and community a week ago,” Ms Howard said.

“Council has determined to narrow its focus to options that continue service delivery, and has resolved to stop any further consideration of the option to exit all services. Council arrived at this decision after considering a breadth of issues including the community feedback that its aged care services are highly valued and trusted by the community.”

Councillors are still to determine exactly what its future service mix might be, and officers will refine the options from the consultant’s report as quickly as possible.

“The review has shown that regardless of the final mix of aged care services we provide, there is plenty of demand to keep our current workforce busy. Council is committed to the service being successful under the Commonwealth Government’s sector reforms and will invest in increased management and support, technology and tools, training and quality assurance,” Ms Howard said.

She said it was essential that the review was thorough and that Councillors had the information and time to properly consider this important matter, and acknowledged that this took longer than planned.

“We thank our staff for their patience and input through the review period, and for their ongoing support and commitment to our clients,” Ms Howard said.