By Oliver Lees
Moorabool council will terminate its delivery of aged and disability services, citing changes in federal government policy as making a continuation of the support unworkable.
From June 30 2022, council will transition away from delivering all services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme and the Home and Community Care Program for Younger People.
These two umbrella programs include a diverse range of supports, including delivered meals, flexible respite care, domestic assistance occupational therapy.
Under the transition, council will also remove itself from delivering Regional Assessment Services, which are used to assess an individual and their carers are receiving the appropriate support.
Council’s confirmed exit from providing aged care and disability support follows an in-principle agreement made in December 2021.
In arriving at the decision, officers recommendations referred to the “inherent service cost, financial constraints, competition policy and other structural challenges” that were to emerge following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
There are currently 38 council staff who work with aged care and disability clients.
According to council data, 20 per cent, or 8100 people in the shire live with a disability.
Moorabool council mayor Tom Sullivan said council will work to manage the transition with the federal government to ensure that they can continue to access the necessary services.
“Our priorities are the residents of Moorabool who use or may require aged care and disability services and making sure they continue to receive the same level of service they are currently receiving under council’s programs, noting that these service providers can provide a suite of services outside of council’s capacity to ensure older community members are supported,” Cr Sullivan said.
“With our aged care and disability clients in mind, council has undertaken a confidential expression of interest process looking at values-aligned successors. council will make recommendations to the Commonwealth as part of the process, noting that other service providers can provide a suite of services above and beyond council’s current service delivery.”
