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Concerns over care services

Rick Lee, Canning TimesCanning Gazette

Mr Reynolds said the aged-care facility at Herald Avenue, Willetton, would be transferred to the City of Melville under the latest State Government proposal published in November.

‘Claims that nothing will change, coming from people with little or no experience in providing these services, are difficult to believe,’ he said.

‘We have been shown no road map as to how services will continue to be delivered without disruption, and there have been no discussions with the City of Canning about this.

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‘For 30 years, Canning Care Services have been providing reliable services you can depend upon. The only way you can guarantee that your services will continue unchanged, and will be delivered by the people that you know and trust, is to support your Canning Care Services.’

City community development director Tania Trengove said it was unclear as to which local government authority would be responsible for the services after the boundary changes took effect.

‘There has been no indication from the State Government or our neighbouring local governments of how care services will be maintained once the boundary changes take effect in July 2015,’ she said.

‘The amount of time we have spent with clients, refining our skills and the services we deliver is a huge asset for the community.

‘All of that experience and the facilities ratepayers have contributed to in their rates will disappear overnight when the boundaries change.’

Mr Reynolds claimed the City of Canning’s commitment to care services was in contrast to its neighbours.

‘Unlike other neighbouring local government care providers, Canning Care Services does not outsource or seek to privatise its services ” they are provided by local people working for your local government authority,’ he said.

He said the City offered a range of services at the care services buildings, including domestic assistance and transport, gardening, meals on wheels, and residential care.

He said Canning Care Services had nearly 200 volunteers.

Local Government Minister Tony Simpson said such claims about the loss of aged-care services were misleading and scaremongering, especially for older residents in the community and their families.

‘To target elderly residents with this misinformation, it’s unhelpful and thoughtless,’ he said.

Mr Simpson said rather than being negative, councils needed to talk to their neighbours about transition plans for assets, but it was premature until official boundaries were determined next year.

‘Once new boundaries had been determined, all assets and services within a new local government entity would be run by the new entity from July 2015,’ he said. ‘Transition committees will be set up among merging councils to discuss issues of importance.

‘So the three bodies ” the Local Government Advisory Board, transition committees and the new entities ” will help provide that road map.

‘Aged-care residents will still live in the same facility in the same street in the same suburb.

‘Any suggestions that assets will go is purely misleading.’