LNP promises $4.7 million expansion to Good Shepherd nursing home in Qld election campaign
THE Liberal National Party in Qld has promised $4.7 million to an expansion of the not-for-profit Good Shepherd nursing home to ease bed block pressure at Townsville Hospital during the election campaign.
The Townsville Bulletin reported that the nursing home has lobbied governments for money to build the 36-bed extension for about 18 months.
Thirty high-care bed licences were transferred to Good Shepherd last year but the nursing home had so far failed to secure funding.
LNP deputy leader and health spokesman, Mark McArdle, said the facility would enable elderly patients unnecessarily taking up acute care beds in Townsville Hospital to receive more appropriate care.
“They provide a step-down facility or an intermediate capacity for people who don’t need acute care to go into a nursing home and receive the treatment they need, but leave 36 more beds here (Townsville Hospital),” he said.
“So people who drive into this hospital in an ambulance are then put into a bed quicker, they get treatment quicker and they go home quicker.”
The new facility was expected to support up to 50 jobs during construction and about 15 jobs in operation.
State Labor has promised that $41 million in Commonwealth aged care funding secured last December would be spent on 30 rehabilitation beds at the government-run Parklands Residential Aged Care Facility in Townsville by 2011.
“This undercuts the government spend of $41 million by something like $36 million,” Mr McArdle said.
But Thuringowa MP, Craig Wallace, said the LNP’s promise only included construction of the building and not the ongoing operation of the beds.
“All they’ve given is $4.7 million. How are they going to fund it when our commitment was $41 million for the 30 beds?” he said.
Good Shepherd Home’s director, Brian Matthews, said the beds would be funded by the Federal Government under the licence transfer arrangement. Fifteen beds at Good Shepherd are already operated without funding under a transitional arrangement with hospital. Mr Matthews said the 36-bed expansion could be completed within nine to 12 months.
