Key points

• Elderly Mornington Peninsula residents are without in-home care after the local council exited aged care services on July 1. 
• Private providers Mecwacare and Bolton Clarke took over the in-home service, but many residents have been left without care for the past month.
• More than 2063 elderly residents were transferred to Mecwacare and 1554 to Bolton Clarke.  

More than 1000 elderly residents on the Mornington Peninsula are without in-home care and support after the local council exited aged care services.

Private aged care providers took over services previously provided by the council in July, when more than 110 council staff were made redundant.

Barbara Rimington has not received in-home care since July 1.Credit:Simon Schluter

Under the change, 2063 residents were transferred to Mecwacare and 1554 to Bolton Clarke. Some are receiving services, but at least 1000 have been left without care. Mecwacare did not respond to requests for comment or information. A Bolton Clarke spokeswoman said “essential services” were being provided for 300 residents and services were commencing or scheduled for another 200.

Barbara Rimington, 77, received in-home assistance from the council with cleaning, as she has a fused back from spinal surgery and has undergone surgery for lung cancer.

She has not received any care since July 1, when Bolton Clarke took over, and said she is “one of the luckier ones” because she is still relatively independent.

“The council said they are monitoring,” she said. “Pig’s arse they are. Nobody has contacted me to see if I am still alive.”

Rimington said she was concerned for elderly residents who need assistance shopping, as there are limited delivery options available on the Peninsula.

“Are any of these people eating?” she said. “People are going to die. Some people are totally isolated. It’s an indictment on the whole of society.”

The council’s move comes as 830 residents in Boroondara, in Melbourne’s east, have been left without care by Mecwacare.

In a letter sent last month by Bolton Clarke, Peninsula residents were told the aged care giant had been “working hard” to prepare for the transition of services but was unable to provide some. “Unfortunately, we anticipate that there will be some disruption to service provision in the initial stages as we prioritise essential care and make contact with everyone to confirm ongoing services.”

Michael Nolan, 89, said he and his wife, 85, had been left in the lurch by Mecwacare and had not received care for more than a month.

Nolan used to receive assistance from the Mornington Peninsula council once a fortnight with cleaning and home help such as checking smoke alarms and changing light bulbs.

“[Mecwacare] has been on the job since July 1 and nothing is happening,” he said. “We have to try and do the cleaning ourselves and we tackle it a little bit at a time, but it takes us days and days to do because I can’t bend down, otherwise I fall over.”

Nolan said changing the bedsheets was particularly difficult for the couple.

“Mecwacare has had months and months to prepare for this,” he said. “It is typical of the former federal government they want to give everything over to private enterprise.”

Michael Nolan used to receive assistance from the Mornington Peninsula council once a fortnight.Credit:Simon Schluter

Mornington Peninsula mayor Anthony Marsh said the council decided to “transition” to new providers this year, away from its own staff, to prepare for the federal government’s open-market system. “The peninsula had no provider other than council delivering these services and we needed to ensure our residents had choice and the advantage of a competitive market environment,” he said. “We did not get a say in the appointment of new providers; that was done by the federal government.”

Marsh said the council was given assurances by both providers and the government that all essential services would continue to be delivered from the July 1 transition date.

“We offered to keep some staff on to help with the transition, but that offer was turned down,” he said. “The welfare of our older residents is a major priority for council, and we will continue to advocate to the federal government to make sure older people receive the support they need to remain independent and involved in the community.”

A spokesman for the government said when a council indicated its intention to exit Commonwealth home support program (CHSP) services, there were “a number of safeguards” to ensure continued service.

“CHSP providers are required to provide the department with at least three months’ notice, including transition arrangements for their clients,” he said. “CHSP providers are also expected to actively work with the department and incoming providers on transition arrangements to ensure service continuity for clients.”

The spokesman said the government was “continually reviewing” the transition and selection process. “The department is aware of the transition of clients from Mornington Peninsula Shire council to Mecwacare and Bolton Clarke and is actively working with My Aged Care and the providers on outstanding transition issues,” he said.

Aimee Bonfield, spokeswoman for Bolton Clarke, said it had started providing “essential services” such as personal care and shopping for 300 residents and care was commencing or scheduled for another 200, for “non-essential services”.

This leaves more than 1000 residents without care.

“All remaining clients have been contacted and we remain in touch on a regular basis to update on progress and to address any immediate needs,” she said. “Bolton Clarke has a strong track record of understanding local needs and supporting wellbeing and independence for older people on the Mornington Peninsula.”

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