The NSW State Government is transferring the remaining 11 state owned aged care faculties to the private sector.

The Wallsend Aged Care Facility is one of these facilities. Growing community opposition, frustration, and betrayed individuals are protesting their opposition to this mishandled and demeaning privatisation by stealth.

The central focus should be about residents, their families and staff.

We are very concerned about the privatisation of Wallsend nursing home and the NSW State Governments disregard for community concerns.

Our biggest concern is that the need to save money will override the community needs and be to the detriment of the highly specialised care that many of the residents currently rely on... Our community will continue this fight to maintain this public nursing home in public hands.

The battle to keep Wallsend Aged Care Facility in public hands continues much has been debated about the concept of models of care as stated by the previous Health Minister of the time MP John Della Bosca: “If they do not deliver better models of care and accommodation, then we will not proceed,
A ‘model of care’ is a multifaceted concept, which broadly defines the way care s are delivered.

WACF Model of Care considers the following key issues:

• Location of Services
• Changing service demands and pressures
• Workforce availability
• Community Concerns
• Certification and Accreditation
• State and Federal Government policy directions

Wallsend Aged Care Facility also takes the following into account:

• delivers a wide range of services, including the capacity to respond directly to resident needs
• supports those who have relative socio-economic disadvantage – concessional status - 100% concessional status
• access to Clinical specialist, health clinics, both centre based and outreach services. Opportunity to access specialist clinicians for therapy to increase skills, to prevent secondary complications and manage activity limitations. Clinical specialist services includes but is not limited to rehabilitation specialists, clinical psychology services, neuro-psychological assessments, case management, physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy and social
• Ability to provide improved capacity to access many clinical programs through NSW and HNE Health
• Access to good quality planning data and improved service planning 
• utilises both collaborative and integrated models of service delivery...
• Accommodation is safe secure and supportive, residents are supported to maintain their independence, with continuing access to community services and choice and control over decisions as long as they are able top do so.
• WACF's Model of Care is… place to live not just be cared for – stimulation not just sustaining life and accommodation is family friendly that allows and supports the interaction between individuals their family and friends and community.

Author: Louise