Aged care respite service gets two-year reprieve

The ACT’s Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith has announced that necessary paperwork is being prepared by the ACT Health Directorate to support The Salvation Army to continue delivery of the Burrangiri Aged Care Respite Facility for a further two years. The announcement complements a $10 million Albanese Labor government election commitment to ensure the number of respite beds in the ACT will not reduce.

The federal government commitment enables new options to be considered in the delivery of respite care in the short and longer term, Stephen-Smith said, noting that the original decision to close the facility was not made lightly.

“It is important to note that while the Burrangiri service can continue in the short term, the Health Directorate’s advice remains that the facility would require a significant scope of work to be fit for purpose for the delivery of quality aged care respite services in the medium term,” Stephen-Smith said.

“However, the ACT Government recognises the concerns raised by the community around the availability of respite and the value of the Burrangiri service to those who currently rely on it. A two-year extension allows us to work with the Commonwealth on more sustainable solutions for respite in the ACT and best use of the funding available.”

Stephen-Smith said she has written to Australia’s Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler, seeking to work together to deliver appropriate respite for older Canberrans and their carers. “I was very pleased that federal Labor committed $10 million for a new facility or to extend an existing facility to deliver aged care respite beds in the ACT,” Stephen-Smith said.

“I’ve written to Minister Butler asking him to consider Commonwealth co-funding to support the Burrangiri extension, as well as to expedite delivery of the election commitment to ensure dedicated residential respite beds will be available as soon as possible,” Stephen-Smith said.

To explore options to identify land for a purpose-built respite centre, the ACT Government is also working with Carers ACT.

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