Source: Office of the Shadow Minister for Disability Services, Shadow Minister for Ageing, ANDREW CONSTANCE, Member for Bega

MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday 18th June 2008

IEMMA DITHERS IN ASSISTING PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY LIVING IN NSW NURSING HOMES

The dithering Iemma Government has neglected the needs of a 40 year old woman with a disability by failing to relocate her out of a nursing home into a group home, despite committing to relocating young people from NSW Nursing Homes 18 months ago, Shadow Minister for Disability Services Andrew Constance and the Member for Hornsby Judy Hopwood said today.

Fiona Way, who has been living in an aged care facility for seven years, was one of the first to register for the Helping Young people In Residential Aged Care program.

“This is an appalling situation – how could the Iemma Government allow it to happen?” Mr Constance said.

“Whilst the Iemma Government dithers, hundreds of people with a disability around NSW, like Fiona, are forced to live in nursing homes with care that is not suited to addressing their needs.

“The dithering Iemma Government has relocated just 4 out of 2428 younger people with a disability living in NSW nursing homes since the bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth was signed in 2006.
 
“Every other state and territory has managed to take the ball and run with it, except NSW, who is lagging well behind the other states. All we have seen in 18 months is paper shuffling, surveys and expressions of interest sought by the department.”
 
Fiona Way and her parents Margaret and Gordon Fuller, both in their 70s, are distressed that even though they were one of the first families to register under the program to move people out of inappropriate care back in March 2007, it took eight months to further progress the application and another seven long months to be told that Fiona would not be in the first group and that DADHC would review her at a later date.

In February this year Senate estimates revealed NSW was again embarrassingly behind the eight ball - in the same time NSW delivered improved services to just 11 clients either through relocation or packages supporting people with a disability residing in a nursing home, Queensland managed to deliver 30 services and Victoria 130 services.

Member for Hornsby Judy Hopwood said the Minister for Disability Services has done very little since the COAG agreement was signed in 2006.
 
“How can the Minister state that the Iemma Government is delivering new services when families like the Fullers can’t access any service what so ever and the likely planned assistance for Northern Sydney by the Government is for two clients?” Mrs Hopwood said.

“People with a disability deserve better than this from a Minister more focussed on other portfolio responsibilities than addressing this critical matter already raised in the Parliament,” she said.

Andrew Constance, Member for Bega – ph: 02 6492 2056, mobile: 0439 311 073