Aged care recipients on the Mid-North Coast will be among the first in Australia to benefit from a new initiative that will help secure the resources and workforce needed to meet the region’s growing demand for care.
A Commonwealth-funded Aged Care Workforce Innov-ation Network (WIN) is being established in the region.
Under this program, local providers will be able to have their business models expertly reviewed by a WIN adviser, who will identify any changes and improvements that can be made to help prepare the organisation for major aged care reforms that are on the way.
As well as assisting individual enterprises, this process will help to identify common issues and priorities across the sector, which will be dealt with through a coordinated regional strategy.
Providers who undertake a review will also be able to apply for a tailored grant of up to $15,000 to implement the recommendations made by the adviser, who will also help design an implementation plan.
Independent Lyne MP Rob Oakeshott welcomed the announcement saying, “This once again places our aged care providers at the forefront of the national aged care reform agenda.
“This is great news for our aged care providers and for local service users, who are increasing in number and needing reassurance that we will have the resources to deal with the ever-increasing demand for aged care services,” Mr Oakeshott said.
Mr Oakeshott said the Mid-North Coast was selected among only a handful of regions for the initial rollout because of the strong industry networks and collaborative work already being done within the local aged care sector.
“Our rapidly ageing demographic means we are already dealing with issues that other communities in Australia won’t be facing for another 10 years; and this was a factor in our region being selected to pilot this project,” he said.
“However, a more significant driver was the extent to which our providers have established formal industry networks and are already talking to each other about how to solve common problems.
“It is because of the excellent work done in this regard by local people on the ground that we are ideally positioned to take maximum advantage of a service like this and can get started straight away.
“Our aged care leaders deserve to be congratulated for their initiative and I look forward to working with them to ensure our region is ahead of the game when it comes to delivering aged care reform at a local level,” Mr Oakeshott said.
The Aged Care WIN is an industry-led initiative, managed by the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council in partnership with aged care peak bodies Aged and Community Services and Leading Age Services Australia.
