Ballarat Aged Care’s Talbot Place will receive upgrades as part of the Victorian Government’s $30million in funding to improve Victoria’s public sector residential aged care services, home to some of our most vulnerable older Victorians.

Talbot Place has been allocated $545,000 for facility improvement works, which will include two new kitchens, laundry and en-suite refurbishments and updates to the activities and garden area.

Ballarat Health Services Executive Director of Aged Operations Jodie Cranham welcomed the funding, which will improve amenities, layout and workflow for staff and residents of the Talbot Place home.

”We’re committed to providing excellence in aged care to the aging members of our community, and this includes ensuring they have access to comfortable facilities with modern amenities.”

”We know that social activities and gardening have many health benefits for our residents, and these improvements will enable us to provide more activities and opportunities for our residents in a comfortable and supportive setting.”

Jodie met with local members of parliament to discuss the planned works and the benefits they will have for residents and staff at the home.

“This $545,000 investment will deliver improved facilities for the residents and staff at Talbot Place.  It will ensure residents have access to the quality care facilities they deserve, as well as creating a more comfortable, supportive and social place to live,” said Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison. “Now more than ever it’s important that the Victorian Government support our local economy and the additional benefit of this investment is further job creation for the Ballarat community.”

“We’re supporting our aged care services expand capacity and improve safety so that older Victorians – our parents and grandparents – receive the care and dignity they deserve in their later years,” said Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle.

Talbot Place is a 30 bed aged care home, located in the Queen Elizabeth Centre site on Dana Street, Ballarat Central.

Residents at Ballarat Health Services benefit from the highest level of access to and oversight from clinical expertise. The care provided in Ballarat Aged Care homes is overseen by registered nurses, and as a public aged care provider, adheres to the required Safe Patient Care Act staffing ratios.

The funding package has a strong regional focus with 50% of the $30 million, going to regional aged care facilities, once again showing the Andrews Government’s commitment to regional Victorians.

Of the $15 million allocated to regional facilities, $5 million is part of the Government’s $2.7 billion Building Works program which focuses on getting people back to work across our state as Victoria recovers from the coronavirus pandemic and $10 million is funded through the $350 million Regional Health Infrastructure Fund (RHIF). The RHIF is the biggest dedicated fund of its kind, helping to deliver upgrades to hundreds of regional and rural health services across the state.

This funding will enable regional services to improve and modernise their facilities, ensuring residents have the dignity and care they need and their families have the peace of mind they deserve.