Thanks for visiting Federal Member & Shadow Minister

Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan and Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Dr Anne Webster wrapped up a tour of the Mid North Coast with a visit to our Nambucca Heads aged care home on Friday.

NVC Group Chairman Janine Reed said she wanted to thank Mr Conaghan and Dr Webster for meeting with her organisation and visiting aged care home, Riverside Gardens.

“The visit by our Federal Member and the Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health was informative and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to canvass aged care policy issues and improvements,” she said.

“NVC Group CEO and I were able to share the complexities our organisation and sector now faces with funding and other impacts.

“Aged care is a highly regulated industry, and it has become very burdensome and extremely expensive, particularly when it has become so difficult to source staff and our sector has to meet legislated care minutes for aged care home residents.

“NVC Group and the whole sector is still experiencing financial impacts from COVID-19 and while the Federal Government’s COVID-19 grants have been reasonable, the application process to obtain funding was lengthy and it took 6-12 months to actually receive the funding in the bank.

“I thank our Federal Member for visiting to discuss with us how funding and policy for our sector could be improved.”

Mr Conaghan and Dr Webster visited Riverside Gardens on Thursday 23 November and visited the facility’s kitchen, memory support wing, common areas such as the dining room and library, and they caught up with some residents doing afternoon activities in common areas.

This visit complemented the three health and aged care round tables the parliamentarians held at Port Macquarie on Wednesday, Kempsey on Thursday, and Coffs Harbour on Friday (22-24 November 2023).