Each year, hundreds more senior Western Australians will be able to regain their independence faster after leaving hospital, thanks to a $33.75 million Morrison Government commitment to an extra 180 Transition Care Program (TCP) places across Perth.
This investment is backed by our Government's record 2019-20 Budget aged care boost of $7 billion and our commitment to providing more choices for longer and better lives.
It is vital senior Australians have the specialised care they need to get back on their feet and regain their physical strength, with studies showing transition care has long-lasting effects on improved health and wellbeing and allows people to live in their own homes for longer.
The 180 extra transition places are also a practical way to relieve pressure on public hospitals and in the aged care sector, while additional residential aged care services are being developed.
Transition care is a restorative care program of up to 12 weeks, to assist senior Australians regain functional capacity after a hospital stay. It can be delivered either in a person's home or in a residential care setting.
The additional WA Transition Care Program places include:
- 60 TCP places allocated permanently from 1 April 2019
- 40 TCP places to be allocated temporarily from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022
- 40 TCP places to be allocated temporarily from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2022
- 40 TCP places to be allocated temporarily from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022
Transition care places are jointly funded by the Federal and State/Territory Governments.
In recent years there has been an undersupply of operational aged care places in Western Australia – a flow-on effect from the low demand expressed by providers for residential care places in the five Aged Care Approval Rounds (ACAR) between 2007 and 2012-13.
The average time needed to bring residential care online is 4.3 years.
Demand for places has picked up significantly in the last four ACARs (2014, 2015, 2016-17 and 2018-19), which has seen a total of 7,494 new residential aged care places allocated to WA.
This has led to more than 1200 new residential places coming into operation in WA over the past two years.
The Morrison Government is absolutely committed to ensuring senior Australians have better access to care, better quality of care and options for better ageing.
In the 2018-19 ACAR, a record 13,500 new residential aged care places, 775 short-term restorative care places and up to $60 million in capital grant funding were made available, including 3,295 residential places in WA.
Our Government's wide-ranging aged care reform agenda, backed by record funding, helps more senior Australians receive aged care and support so they can stay in their own homes or in the communities they love, surrounded by family, friends and neighbours.
