- Premier Mark McGowan officially opens new Southern Plus aged care facility
- First facility in WA to combine medical services, recreation and social facilities
- Commonwealth subsidised Residential Aged Care (RAC) places in WA continue to be at chronically low levels
- McGowan Government continues work on delivering election commitments in aged care
Premier Mark McGowan has officially opened the new Southern Plus aged care facility in East Fremantle, the first in Western Australia to combine a range of services and facilities for residents, all within the one location.
Offering 83 beds, the facility is built on the site of the former Kaleeya Hospital and retains much of the original building.
On-site services include a medical centre with general practitioners, palliative care, speech therapy, and a gerontologist who specialises in the physical, mental and social aspects of ageing.
Residents also have access to a wellness centre, hydro-pool, gym, on-site casual and fine dining, and a cinema.
As of June 30, 2017, WA had 62.9 Commonwealth subsidised RAC places per 1,000 people aged 70 years and over and Aboriginal people aged 50-69 years, compared to the national rate of 75.1 per 1,000 people.
The McGowan Government is working to fast-track the availability of State-owned land and property for the development and construction of new aged care facilities.
Since taking office, more than 30 aged care development opportunities have been assisted through land transfers, rezonings, development approvals and land projects.
Land in Lesmurdie, Albany, Westonia, Wyndham, Derby, Jurien Bay and Kununurra has been set aside for aged care developments, along with a vacant 14-hectare site at Champion Lakes.
The Champion Lakes development will incorporate diverse housing options including apartments, townhouses, standard and micro-lot homes, aged living and retirement housing.
Work is also being done at Osborne Park Hospital to further plans for a 16,000 square metre aged care precinct.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"I'm pleased to officially open the new state-of-the-art Southern Plus aged care facility in East Fremantle.
"Residential aged care places in WA are at their lowest since 2001, and this brand new facility will provide more opportunities for elderly people looking for a quality aged care facility.
"My Government made a commitment to fast-track aged care establishments and I'm glad to see this is in motion, with more than 1,500 aged care beds set to be created in the coming years.
"Since taking office, more than 30 aged care development opportunities have been assisted through land transfers, rezonings, development approvals and land projects."
As stated by Bicton MLA Lisa O'Malley:
"It's fantastic to see a brand new aged care facility opening up in East Fremantle, showing off our beautiful area and creating more local job opportunities.
"Aged care is an important issue for many local elderly Western Australians and their families, so it's positive to see state-of-the-art facilities available to give peace of mind.
"I'm proud to be a part of a McGowan Labor Government committed to fast-tracking more opportunities for aged care facilities across the State."
