The Government of Tasmania, a state in Australia, has announced a significant investment of A$135m ($89.57m) to deliver various projects for enhancing aged care services across the state.
This grant funding will support a total of 76 projects aimed at improving the accessibility and quality of aged care, particularly in Tasmania’s rural and remote areas.
Majority of the total allocated funds will assist aged care providers outside major cities in upgrading and expanding their facilities.
This move is designed to ensure that the elderly receive the necessary care in their vicinity, addressing the issue of accessibility in less populated regions.
The investment will also facilitate the construction of essential staff accommodation, bolster services for the elderly at risk of homelessness and provide culturally sensitive aged care in First Nations communities.
In the electorate of Braddon, Emmerton Park’s Residential Care Facility in Smithton, West Coast District Hospital’s Lyell House and Onecare’s Rubicon Grove in Port Sorell have collectively received A$7.13m.
All these funds will notably improve aged care access and quality for the elderly in Northwest Tasmania.
A standout project within this investment is the A$5.74m allocated for the addition of much-needed aged care beds in Queenstown.
This funding, provided as part of the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP), reaffirms the government's initiative to upholding the rights of all older Australians to receive safe aged care services, irrespective of their geographic location.
Tasmania Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Guy Barnett said: “The Tasmanian Government welcomes this additional funding and improved healthcare services for the North West and West Coast of Tasmania.
“Particularly the additional four aged care beds that will become available at Lyell House in Queenstown, which will work to alleviate the strain on our healthcare system and give vulnerable members of our community more security and greater options.
“Our government has strongly advocated for this funding and I am very pleased the federal government has come to the party and delivered it, so that our State can benefit.”
