Announcements Expected In Aged Residential Care

Election Policy Announcements Expected In Aged Residential Care

The major political parties are expected to tell more than 300 aged residential care providers tomorrow how they propose to resolve the crisis in the health care sector.

HealthCare Providers holds its conference at Sky City in Auckland on Tuesday 9 August and expects each party to take the opportunity to announce their policies relating to aged residential care.

NZ First, represented by Jim Peters, is expected to receive a warm reception after leader Winston Peters in a speech to Grey Power on Friday 5 August outlined three commitments to address the aged residential care crisis.

Pete Hodgson will be expected to explain how much of the $71 million promised to aged residential care in the budget he believes should be passed over to providers in light of (a) his post budget clarifications which indicate that half the money is to correct a funding mistake from the last year and considering the money can be used by DHBs for other purposes, and (b) DHBNZ’s inability to say how much they will pass on in the current contract negotiation round.

Paul Hutchison will need to tell delegates what National is willing to do for the sector and provide some specific remedies for the crisis. Delegates expect that National as a potential ‘government in waiting’ will have answers to providers questions about their plans for the health budget and their plans for aged residential care.

United Future will be represented by Judy Turner and providers will be hoping that this party which has given support to the sector in the past few months will announce some policy details that will address the present funding crisis.

Each political party has a 30-minute session at the conference to make their policy announcements and take questions from delegates.

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