RE Official Information Act request WCDHB 9330
I refer to your email dated 29 July 2019 requesting the following information under the Official Information Act from West Coast DHB.
1. What discussions has the DHB had in the past year with providers about additional aged care dementia care in Greymouth?
In 2018 a local NGO provider approached the DHB proposing to provide dementia and psychogeriatric services in Greymouth and the DHB provided the NGO with a letter of offer to capacity fund a number of beds to provide viability; however, a more detailed feasibility study by the provider demonstrated a number of issues with the viability of their proposal and the DHB’s offer was not formally accepted, and has since been withdrawn.
2. Who were the discussions with?
3. With Kowhai Manor out the picture, are there concerns over capacity on the Coast for dementia patients?
We are very aware that there is lack of choice for people requiring dementia rest home and psychogeriatric levels of care in Aged-related Residential Care facilities close to where they and their family/whanau live. Kahurangi in Greymouth is our only facility providing psychogeriatric level of care and O’Conor Home in Westport is out only dementia level of care.
We monitor bed capacity closely and have good processes in place to manage support for people needing to move out of the West Coast DHB district, care for while they are away,