WA Labor to deliver nation-leading aged care support package

WA Labor has today announced a major package to support aged care services across the State.
  • Re-elected Cook Labor Government will deliver a $140 million aged care package
  • New $100 million loan facility to help expand aged care services
  • Australian-first model of care to be established through new ‘Integrated Older Adult Care Hubs’
  • WA Labor to implement the State’s first Dementia Action Plan
  • Package also includes additional funding towards the Queens Park Aboriginal Aged Care Project

WA Labor has today announced a major package to support aged care services across the State.

The $140 million package includes a range of initiatives that will expand facilities, deliver more aged care beds, improve health outcomes for older Western Australians and alleviate pressure on the State’s health system.

The package is headlined by a new $100 million low-interest loan facility for providers to deliver more aged care beds.

The loans will help providers deliver more concessional aged care beds across the State by providing funding to expand existing facilities and refurbish unused facilities to bring them back online.

It’s estimated the loan facility will support the delivery of up to 500 additional concessional aged care beds, helping to alleviate pressure on the State’s hospital system.

A re-elected Cook Labor Government will also pilot an Australian-first model of care for older Western Australians, with the establishment of ‘Integrated Older Adult Care Hubs’.

The hubs will be piloted in three locations and provide older adults with chronic and complex conditions a full range of services to support them to stay well in the community and avoid preventable hospitalisations.

The hubs will include a range of services including:

  • a range of clinical staff including GPs, geriatric specialists, physiotherapists and psychologists;
  • palliative care services;
  • dementia services including memory clinics and advanced care planning; and
  • supports to assist families navigate aged care services.

WA Labor will also invest $1 million to establish the State’s first Dementia Action Plan to improve outcomes for people living with dementia and their families.

The action plan will adopt a range of measures including training for hospital staff in managing patients with dementia, a public facing communications campaign to assist families managing dementia at home, ensure all new hospital developments include “dementia friendly” designs, and include a review of existing services to streamline access and make it easier for patients, carers and staff to navigate available support.

Additionally, WA Labor will provide a further $5 million grant and $10 million low interest loan to support the delivery of the Sister Kate's Aged Care facility in Queens Park.

Sister Kate's Aged Care will be a 90-100 bed facility that will provide culturally sensitive care for Aboriginal people. It will be the first of its kind in WA –and serve as a centre of excellence for Aboriginal aged care.

Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:

“We’re committed to doing what’s right for Western Australia and this package will help to address the growing demand for aged care services in our State."

“These initiatives will expand the number of concessional aged care beds, improve health outcomes for older Western Australians, support people living with dementia and their families and help alleviate the pressure on our health system."

“We’ve invested an unprecedented $14.3 billion in in our health system since 2021, and this nation-leading package of initiatives for aged care services further reinforces our commitment to delivering better health outcomes for the community.”

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