Union calls for more accountability
The ANF’s Victorian branch wants extra audits of RACFs in the wake of the Bridgewater collapse.
The Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) has called for tighter Government controls of aged care facilities, after the closure of Bridgewater nursing home in Melbourne.
Administrators for the home, PricewaterhouseCoopers, failed to secure a purchaser, resulting in the homes closure and the relocation of approximately 80 residents over the next few weeks.
Over 100 staff at the home has lost their superannuation entitlements, with lost money estimated to be in the region of $500,000.
Yvonne Chaperon, Assistant Secretary of ANF (Victorian branch) suggested on ABC radio that the Federal Government keep a closer check on the finances of aged care homes.
“They’ve got to tighten up what happens with the money that they give to these nursing homes,” she told the ABC.
“They need to audit these nursing homes financially on a three-monthly basis to see where that money is being spent because it’s not going where it should.”
“They’re running them for profit. Where’s that profit going because it’s certainly not going back in to staff and looking after staff entitlements,” Chaperon said.
The ANF is seeking legal advice about how to recover lost entitlements.
