Mornington News 12 July 2022

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Tuesday 12 July 2022

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Life returns to the pond A ONCE neglected and sad-looking pond in Bentons Road, Mount Martha, is continuing to thrive two years after a beautification project brought it back to life. In partnership with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, the nearby Goodstart Early Learning Centre has worked to revitalise the waterway and surrounds to bring back frogs and birds and provide a green space for the community. More than 80 plants were added to provide food and protection for wildlife. Early learning teacher Amanda Brewer said that since 2020 there had been continued work to build and extend the community landscape, creating a natural and inviting space for everyone in the community. “Recently we have put in a bench table to assist the elderly who walk by and don't have a place to rest, and we planted additional Indigenous and native plants around the pond and a further 10 red gums in the area,” she said. “This is just one of the amazing things happening in the community and we were so pleased our students could be part of it.”

Reflecting on their good work at the pond with the children are the early learning centre’s Amanda Brewer and Brooke Kuss and Pia Spreen, of Mornington Peninsula Shire. Picture: Gary Sissons

Delays to ‘sharing’ home care data Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council says the federal government refused to let it continue servicing home care clients after the changeover to private providers on 1 July, leaving thousands of clients in limbo. But aged care experts say the council should not have ditched its in-house home care service in the first place, with many clients now losing certainty of service.

About 4000 home care clients on the peninsula have been caught in the middle of the former Morrison government’s decision to move home care servicing to private providers (“Home care crisis after switch to private providers” The News 5/7/22). The changeover was not mandatory, and some councils have chosen to remain as home care providers. Critics of the shire’s decision say delays in transferring client information to providers Mecwacare and Bolton Clarke have seen clients miss-

ing vital support, with some still not knowing when help will come. Community services manager Jo Bradshaw said council’s offer to retain some staff to help with the transition “was declined by the Commonwealth government”. Bradshaw said the federal government gave the council eight weeks’ notice about the new providers. “We then wrote to 4000 clients to notify them of the new providers, ask them to name their preferred provider and get their consent to transfer their

information to the new provider,” she said. “We did experience a delay with some clients not responding to our two written requests for consent. These clients have now all been contacted by phone to gain their consent and provider preference.” Bradshaw said all information had been transferred to the new providers. Public health qualitative researcher Dr Sarah Russell was “surprised” council had moved to private providers instead of continuing to provide home care services itself.

“I am very disappointed [and] have contacted the mayor [Cr Anthony Marsh] to ask him [about] the process council used to choose Mecwacare and Bolton Clarke as the private providers,” she said. “Over the past few years, I have received several complaints about Mecwacare and Bolton Clarke; the most common is the number of different support workers being sent to older people’s homes. Older people feel very uncomfortable receiving personal care from a stranger. Continued Page 9

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Mornington News 12 July 2022 by Mornington Peninsula News Group - Issuu