Response to CPSA comment on The Grand Plan

Response written by Baptistcare's Director of Life Services, Ken Baker.

http://tinyurl.com/2f4nszo

While the article from CPSA (Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association) had the objective of making aged care a centre-piece for all parties in the current election lead-up, a move that is fully supported by Baptistcare and, I'm sure many other providers, it is unfortunate and unrealistic to believe that criticising all aged care providers will actually help focus the political glare onto aged care.

The focus needs to be on increasing community awareness that the desperate state of aged care is due to government policy and not through provider mismanagement as the Government would have you believe.

Funding for the aged care sector remains a critical short, medium and long term issue and the serious decline in funding in real terms over more than the last 10 years has been a major contributing factor to the increase in size of aged care facilities and changed nursing ratios.

Without realistic funding and/or reforms to the aged care system as a whole this trend can only continue.

As Baptistcare is a member of the not for profit sector in aged care it is not appropriate for us to comment on the business models of the private or for profit sector. Baptistcare’s commitment to aged care is predicated on care for the people and to continue doing this it needs to remain financially viable

For real change to occur in aged care the wider community needs to start valuing the work done by those in the aged care sector.