"Everybody is pointing their finger at everybody else," said Russell Bricknell, CEO of West Australian aged care provider Juniper, who was in Canberra on Wednesday with other UnitingCare aged care providers to engage with decision makers.
The comment comes as the Opposition has failed to approve bipartisan support for the Government's aged care reforms, citing "surprise new provisions" and unseen "subordinate regulations" as requiring further detail, meaning the new Aged Care Act will not be introduced to Parliament until October, at the earliest.
"It's pretty clear that there's an impasse going on," Russell told The SOURCE. "Everybody's saying the other side should do something, which is disappointing from people elected to look after older people.
"It's fast approaching a point a point of crisis if not having gone past it."
Both sides of Government need "to frankly grow up," he said. He would like to see the Bill tabled in Parliament this week.
"We're not building new aged care facilities. We're shutting facilities. We're seeing providers opt out or exit the system. We're also seeing people waiting months and years for access to aged care services because we can't put more services on the ground."
Juniper, which has significant operations in very remote areas, is approximately breaking even, and is "nowhere near" the about 10% return needed to build the new aged care beds needed for the ageing population, at $500,000 per bed, and replace current stock.
"We have a number of buildings that in the next couple of years are going to reach the end of their useful life and if we can't build, we've got to close," Russell said.
Sector losing small operators already
Anton Hutchinson, whose family has owned and operated standalone aged care facility Canberra Aged Care for 40 years, told The SOURCE the reforms are "irrelevant" to his business, but will simply be "moving the deckchairs on the Titanic".
"There are something like 40 operators like us getting out every quarter and we're going to end up with - we are already in - a state where we've got a Coles, Woolworths style of aged care where everybody owns 40 homes, 50 homes, 100 homes, and there are no room for individuality."
"At the end of the day, [the reforms] are nothing. The outcome is irrelevant. Will just have to tick different boxes," he said.
The potential for higher consumer contributions is not significant.
"People with more already pay more," he said.
"Our business here in Canberra is voted the best nursing home in the ACT year after year after year by the community. And they're the ones that matters to us."
Out of time
Tom Symondson, CEO of Aged and Community Care Providers' Association (ACCPA), the peak body for aged care providers, told The Weekly SOURCE yesterday the Government has run out of time to introduce the legislation this term.
"There is no time left for a Senate Inquiry and other parliamentary processes before the next election," he said.
