Page 1037 - Week 03 - Thursday, 23 March 2017

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Answers to questions

Aged persons—respite care
(Question No 66)

Mr Doszpot asked the Minister for Health, upon notice, on 17 February 2017:

(1) What is the waiting time for respite care in ACT nursing homes.

(2) How does this waiting time compare with NSW.

(3) What is the ACT Government’s strategy to increase the number of residential respite care places available in ACT nursing homes.

(4) Is respite care for aged persons given in ACT hospitals.

(5) Who provides this respite care and who keeps records.

(6) On what basis is hospital-based respite care provided.

(7) How many bed days, per patient each year for the past five years, have been provided in hospitals for respite care for aged persons.

(8) What is the average delay in days to make a transfer due to nursing home beds not being available immediately when it is determined a patient can move from hospital to respite care in a nursing home.

(9) Who makes the decision about when a patient can move from hospital to respite care in a nursing home.

(10) How long are patients in hospital on average before respite care is given (a) less than one month, (b) between one and 12 months and (c) more than 12 months.

Ms Fitzharris: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) The Australian Government funds and regulates the provision of residential aged care, including respite care for older people in the ACT. ACT Health is unaware of the availability of data reporting waiting time for respite care in ACT nursing homes. There is no requirement to report on respite beds as bed numbers are not allocated. It is up to the individual provider to determine the amount of respite beds they provide. ACT Health maintains a close relationship with respite providers to enable us to have visibility of the availability of respite beds.

(2) This is out of scope for ACT Health to respond, as per the previous response.

(3) The ACT Government provides funding for the operation of the Burrangiri Aged Care Plus Respite Centre. The Salvation Army has operated the centre in Rivett in a building owned by ACT Health since it commenced in 1989. Burrangiri provides a unique and valuable service to the ACT community, in that older patients can quickly and easily access respite services without the need for assessment by the Aged Care Assessment Team. In 2016-17, Burrangiri is contracted to provide 4,654 occupied bed days per annum for overnight respite and post hospital convalescent care, and 3,336


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