Melton council has called on state and federal governments to increase investment in aged care after Western Health’s decision to close Reg Geary House in Melton South.
As reported by the Weekly, the closure of the centre was announced on October 25, with the organisation stating it no longer met the needs of its 30 occupants.
Mayor Bob Turner said the council was concerned by the situation, especially because it would lead to unemployment for some Melton residents.
“Council calls on the state and federal health ministers to take appropriate action to address the extreme shortage of nursing home beds in the west and, in particular Melton,’’ he said.
‘‘The closure also places pressure on employment opportunities locally.
“In recent years we have seen significant expenditure in prisons in our region, but we would really like to see more investment in our health-care system, including aged-care facilities for our ageing population.
‘‘These are residents who have made significant contributions to their community and deserve better at this time in their lives.”
Cr Turner said there were five aged- care facilities in Melton, including Reg Geary House, with limited vacancies.
“This puts our community’s local aged-care opportunities at significant risk,” he said.
In Parliament last week, Melton Labor MP Don Nardella called on Health Minister David Davis to prevent the closure.
“Reg Geary House has 30 residents in high care and 55 highly qualified, professional and caring staff,’’ Mr Nardella said. ‘‘Those people were very upset by the announcement.
“I look at the Western Health annual report and note it made a surplus of more than $4 million . . . to say [they] could not afford to look after residents at Reg Geary House and could not look at increasing the standards and meeting accreditation is just not right.”
In a statement, Mr Davis’s spokesman said the closure of the centre was a decision made by the Western Health board.
“The facility no longer meets the needs of aged residents and they are being offered a choice of newer, more modern facilities in the area or an alternative location,” he said.
Reg Geary House will close on June 30 next year.
