AS a concerned client of the council’s Home and Community Care service, I was very interested in the letter sent to all clients advising of the proposed closure and the input and advice given by a Michael Goldsworthy into the council’s deliberations and decision.
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Now, without being able to read the report in full, nor having been given the opportunity to have input, I went to the website of Australian Strategic Services Pty Ltd and found some interesting information.
This company has for 25 years specialised in working with the boards, CEOs and senior management of community businesses, to "develop powerful and practical strategies that grow and position organisations and ensure their long-term sustainability and their continued contribution to the clients they serve in the community in which they operate, and put in place practical systems and tools that assist clients to T
Their publicity states: "Aged care providers in the years ahead, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a residential care or community service provider, you need to ask yourself: 1. How do we ensure we can provide the right service for both current and future clients?; 2. How do we make it viable, sustainable and profitable?; and 3. How do we remain part of our community or region?"
Councillors have the opportunity to do certain things in the strategy: grow the services or seek alliances for group purchasing and procurement arrangements to merge with other providers, or simply reconsider their future in age care services and focus attention on how they could be transitioned smoothly to another provider. Public or private, it will not matter to this council.
It is obvious that councillors have taken the “Occam's razor” approach - when there are difficult decisions to be made, accept the simplest or easy way out and ignore other opportunities.
Will our two state members take the same path, or take up the fight by meeting with councillors ("Members disappointed", Bendigo Advertiser, February 14)? Why not take up the offer from the councillors and discuss opportunities for council to continue to deliver HACC services on behalf of the state government?
Or is this what I call “weapons of distraction"?
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