Wyndham’s only public aged-care facility could be privatised, with the state government seeking expressions of interest from companies keen to run the centre.
The proposed sale of South Stone Lodge is part of a plan to reduce the government’s involvement in the aged-care sector.
As reported by the Weekly, budget documents show the government expects to save $75 million in the next four years as private providers take over management of the state’s aged-care beds in Melbourne.
The government recently began seeking expressions of interest for 1030 publicly managed beds across the metropolitan area.
A spokesman for Ageing Minister David Davis said the government was yet to decide which centres would be privatised.
“The government will consider proposals that are brought forward that will deliver high-quality residential aged-care services and better capital outcomes,” the spokesman said.
“There is an opportunity for not-for-profit and other aged-care service providers to play a role in helping us to better meet the care needs of aged-care residents, while at the same time investing in new state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure for Victorian communities in metropolitan Melbourne.”
Aged-care advocates fear the proposed privatisation of South Stone Lodge will lead to nursing cuts and fee hikes for residents.
Nursing union spokeswoman Robyn Asbury said the planned sale would negatively affect patient care.
She feared more nurses would be made redundant as private facilities shed staff and increased the proportion of ‘‘personal-care workers’’.
Tarneit Labor MP Tim Pallas said families were concerned that privately-run facilities would have non-qualified workers employed in place of nurses and would be without nurse to patient ratios.
However, Mr Davis’ spokesman said the same care standards applied to the private sector.
