Another Cootamundra aged care provided has conceded that funding cuts to the industry have forced changes to the way they operate and that they have met with federal treasurer Scott Morrison to discuss the impact of the cuts.
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Southern Cross Care (ACT & NSW) which owns the Southern Cross Care Retirement Village (SCCRV) in Cootamundra, have had to streamline their operations to accommodate changes to the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) made by the federal government, which will see per-resident funding for complex health care needs decrease by around $6000 a year.
Last week, the Herald reported that the Cootamundra Nursing Home had been forced to make operational changes as a result of slashed funding, which may result in changes to employees’ hours.
The nursing home is the second largest employer in Cootamundra with more than 100 staff, but nursing home CEO Alex McKenna said the cuts would make provision of high quality care more difficult.
A spokesperson for SCCRV confirmed the village faced similar challenges.
“We’ve been able to find ways to be efficient in our administrative and support services so that cost overheads are minimised,” the spokesperson said.
“Efficiency measures have allowed us to better absorb the impact of the funding changes.
“Our CEO recently met with Scott Morrison and informed the Treasurer of the impact that the government’s funding changes are having.”
Southern Cross Care (ACT & NSW) owns 41 aged care facilities and has the capacity to care for up to 3500 people.
As part of a larger operation, SCCRV is better equipped to deal with the cuts than the Cootamundra Nursing Home but the effects will still be felt.
A spokesperson for the Australian Government Department of Health said aged care providers are required by law “to meet quality standards and provide quality care and services to all care recipients in line with their needs”.
The SCCRV and the Cootamundra Nursing Home remain committed to providing high quality care despite the cuts.