RDNS announces China venture

The opportunities for Australian aged care providers presented by China’s ageing population has been the subject of industry discussion for some time, but a leading Victorian provider has taken the initiative with a new joint venture to develop aged services in China.

RDNS has partnered with China’s Zhongshan College to develop and operate an aged care facility that will include 1,500 care places, a 400-bed hospital and an education and training arm.

RDNS will work with Zhongshan College to develop, operate and manage the facility, which will include training, development and management of care staff. It will also have a strong focus on research and developing quality standards, models of care, clinical pathways and operational management.

Stephen Muggleton, RDNS chief executive, said that negotiations with Zhongshan College, which is in Jiangsu Province, had been ongoing for the last 10 months. The partnership had come about through Victoria’s sister-state relationship with Jiangsu Province and was well facilitated by the Victorian Government, he said.

Muggleton said the key to the entire operation was its large scale and he believed the new centre could potentially serve as a template for other facilities in China.

Research integral to operations

Another important aspect was the incorporation of research into the day-to-day operations. “That integration makes it special,” he said. “We will be concentrating on quality standards, clinical governance and high operational standards. The good thing is that we will be drawing on 128 years of clinical wisdom and sharing this with the Chinese.”

The joint venture would allow both parties to share knowledge and ideas, as Australia and China both look to addressing the challenges associated with their ageing populations, Muggleton said. “We are committed to sharing our expertise and capacity in developing and delivering high quality aged care and seniors living solutions through joint ventures such as this.”

The project was very much a joint body, he said, with the chair to be appointed by the Chinese and the general manager by RDNS.

“The project is well advanced. The design stages have been completed and the building is about to commence,” said Muggleton, who added that RDNS staff including project managers and trainers would be in China for the next few months as part of the commissioning activities.

There are currently 194 million people aged over 60 in China and this is expected to increase to 440 million by 2050.