No. 15
Budget funds further action on preventative health

The ACT Government has announced funding in the 2010-11 ACT Budget of $17.836 million for a range of initiatives directed towards supporting vulnerable members of our community on the road to better health, ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, said today.

“Demand for services from the Aged Care and Rehabilitation Service (ACRS) continues to grow strongly, so this additional funding will provide them with the  resources necessary to manage continuing demand for services in this area,”
Ms Gallagher said.

“To this end, the ACT Government has allocated $4.184 million over a four year period in this Budget to support older Canberrans through additional funding for the Aged Care and Rehabilitation Service.” 

The funding will go towards the ACT Equipment Subsidy Scheme. It will also allow a fifth Rehabilitation Medicine Staff Specialist to be recruited to further enhance the Rehabilitation Services offered in the ACT.

“Chronic diseases are predicted to make up 80 per cent of the total burden of illness for Australians by 2020, so we are also providing $4.184 million over four years for measures aimed at preventing or reducing risk factors for chronic disease,” 
Ms Gallagher said.

“Our aim is to better manage people with chronic diseases by providing information on complications and the mechanisms for avoiding these, with the aim of delivering better health outcomes.

“This will enable us to implement the outcomes of the Diabetes Services Plan and a range of activities aimed at reducing secondary diseases for people with diabetes through improved management plans and services.

“We will be allocating funds to community based non-government organisations for services that prevent and provide quick intervention if secondary diseases arise in people with diabetes, such as heart problems and renal disease.

“We are also injecting $9.468 million over four years into the Home and Community Care (HACC) program that supports frail older people and younger people with a disability to remain at home and out of our public hospitals.

“This initiative provides for growth in the HACC program with the aim of preventing early or inappropriate admission to long term residential care.  

“Services included in the HACC program — a joint venture between the ACT and the Commonwealth — include domestic assistance, personal care, meals on wheels, respite care, social support, community transport and home and garden maintenance. 

“Due to the increasing ageing of our population, service expansion is required to provide more services for an increasing number of people, and there is also a growing number of people with increasingly complex care needs who continue to remain at home and who require additional hours of support,” Ms Gallagher said.

4 May 2010
Media Contact: 	Kathryn Roberts   	6205 0242 (w)   0402 399 907 (m)
	kathryn.roberts@act.gov.au