Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

[Index] [Search] [Download] [Related Items] [Help]

NATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1995 NO. 52

STATUTORY RULES 1995 No. 52

Issued by Authority of the Minister for Human Services and Health

National Health Act 1953

National Health Regulations (Amendment)

Subsection 140(1) of the National Health Act 1953 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, prescribing all matters which by the Act are required or permitted to be prescribed.

Currently, proprietors of government nursing homes receive a fixed rate of benefit for each nursing home resident. The rate of benefit paid in respect of such residents has been frozen since 1985. In the 1992 Federal Budget, the Government announced its intention that government nursing homes be brought into the care aggregated module (CAM) and the modified standard aggregate module (SAM) funding system which applies only to adjusted fee government nursing homes. The CAM:modified SAM funding system will result in higher levels of benefit being paid to the proprietors of nursing homes that become adjusted fee government nursing homes. In order for existing government nursing homes to become adjusted fee government nursing homes and thereby be brought into the CAM:modified SAM funding system, they must be prescribed as adjusted fee government nursing homes for the purposes of section 4AAAA of the Act.

A number of government nursing homes have previously been prescribed by regulation as adjusted fee government nursing homes for the purposes of section 4AAAA of the Act. This amended regulation prescribes two additional nursing home in New South Wales as adjusted fee government nursing home as from 1 April 1995. The details of the nursing homes that have been prescribed are attached.

The amendment also changes the name of the Devon House Nursing Home in Tasmania, which has been an adjusted fee government nursing home since 1 May 1994, to Strath Devon Nursing Home as the home was sold to a private proprietor on 3 April 1995.

In addition, this amendment amends the commencement date of two existing adjusted fee government nursing homes, Merv Irvine Nursing Home and Strathaven Nursing Home which were approved by the Executive Council on 1 September 1994 and 1 January 1995 respectively.

Merv Irvine Nursing Home is a newly established adjusted fee government nursing home. The residents were admitted to the home from 3 July 1994 therefore approval was sought to amend the commencement date of adjusted fee status to the earlier date.

Strathaven Nursing Home is a new adjusted fee government nursing, home which was created by the transfer of beds from Carruthers Nursing Home. The residents were admitted to the home from 17 December 1994. Therefore approval was sought to amend the commencement date of adjusted fee status for this home to the earlier date.

The regulations commenced on 1 April 1995 apart from the change of name for Devon House Nursing Home which took effect on 3 April 1995.

ATTACHMENT

Name and Address of Nursing Home	Approval No.
Corowa District Hospital Nursing Home Guy Street Corowa NSW 2646	1496S
Holbrook District Hospital Nursing Home Bowler Street Holbrook NSW 2644	1497S