ELDERLY western suburbs residents will be among those hit hardest under the state government’s plans to privatise hundreds of nursing home beds, according to aged-care advocates.
The government has closed almost 200 aged-care beds in two years, including 40 at Williamstown’s Hazeldean nursing home, operated by Western Health.
State budget documents show the government expects to save $75 million in the next four years when private providers take over management of the state’s aged-care beds in Melbourne.
The savings would be achieved through the government no longer having to pay wages that apply in Victorian facilities, where there are mandated nurse-to-patient ratios of as many as one-to-seven.
State opposition MPs toured several government-owned nursing homes, including Werribee’s South Stone Lodge, last Wednesday, launching a petition urging Premier Denis Napthine to stop shrinking the public aged-care sector.
Council on the Ageing Victoria chief executive Sue Hendy said although it was “debatable” whether the government should run aged care in Melbourne, “it definitely needs to be in it” in the western suburbs and regional areas, where demand was not being met by private providers.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state spokeswoman Robyn Asbury said the sell-off was a cost-cutting measure that would negatively affect patient care.
She feared more nurses would be made redundant as private facilities shed staff and increased the proportion of ‘personal- care workers’ at the expense of the homes’ registered nurses.
The government provides about 25 residential aged-care facilities, run by local hospitals, throughout Melbourne.
Altona Labor MP Jill Hennessy accused the government of “selling off the care of our seniors to the highest bidder”.
She said further privatisation of aged care would “limit choice for senior residents locally, which could lead to people paying more or having to move to another area”.
Government spokeswoman Rachel White said no decisions had been made on which sites would be sold, but “there will be no loss of aged-care places through any transfer”.
“All facilities are subject to the same national accreditation and quality of standards,” she said.
