Another major Victorian regional council is ending its home care services, with the City of Greater Bendigo to transition clients to a new provider by June 30, 2023.
Bendigo Council, which provides Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) services to around 1,800 clients, will wind up its aged care provision next year ahead of the expected implementation of the Support at Home (SAH) Program in 2024; this will save Council an estimated $450,000 per year.
According to Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf (pictured), an independent consultant confirmed to the city that it would be difficult to comply with SAH requirements, and ratepayer funds would not be available for use to cover running costs under the program.
“The SAH program intends to open up the market for aged care providers, making it more competitive and giving clients greater choice about who they access care from. This will effectively split our client base. There will also be changes to the payment structure from Federal Government to Local Government, making it difficult to budget to deliver the service.
“If the City was to continue providing aged care, it would have to expand its service delivery significantly, which would require an investment in new technology and the appointment of a skilled committee to ensure compliance with requirements of the new service,” she said.
Bendigo is at least the second Victorian council to announce an end to its aged care services this month, after the City of Ballarat signalled its exit as of 1 July next year.
Image: Town hall of Bendigo from Front by Viatori/CC BY-SA 4.0
