State Nursing Home Transfer Project
Request for Detailed Proposal Phase
Project Update - October 2009
Subsequent to the issue of Request for Detailed Proposal on 28 July 2009, NSW Health received detailed proposals from short-listed Proponents on 21 September 2009. The evaluation process is now under way and is expected to be completed by December.
The tender proposals are being evaluated against the following criteria:
A. Aged Care Service Delivery Criteria
B. Special Care Service Delivery Criteria
C. Human Resource and Staffing Criteria
D. Transfer Management Criteria
E. Financial Criteria
F. Legal and Commercial Criteria
The proposals are also being evaluated in regard to their consistency with NSW Health's transfer principles. The proposals will only be recommended to proceed to the next phase (negotiations) if they satisfy NSW Health's requirements. If for a particular nursing home, none of the proposals is satisfactory, then the current operating arrangements for that nursing home will continue and it will not be transferred to the non-government sector under this process.
It is expected that the recommendations arising from the tender evaluation, including preferred proponents, will be submitted to the Director-General and the Minister for Health in February/March 2010. Final negotiations will occur prior to contracts being awarded in March 2010, with the aim of completing transfers by the end of June 2010.
Until such time as the tender evaluation is completed and a decision is made on the preferred proponents, no public announcement will be made in regard to the proponents and the number of bid proposals, due to probity reasons.
As part of managing the transition of the nursing homes to new providers (subject to the above process), it will be a priority to ensure minimum disruption to residents and to ensure that families, carers and guardians are fully briefed about any changes. Regular updates regarding the tender and transfer processes will continue to be provided to the residents of all State nursing homes, their families and carers, staff and interested stakeholders.
The objectives of the Project are to:
- Continue the State Government Residential Aged Care Reform process implemented since the 1990's.
- Maintain local access to the existing residential aged care places.
- Implement new models to provide better care for residents and may also include the redevelopment of some facilities to provide better quality aged care homes.
- Achieve value for money outcomes.
- Ensure continuity of aged care services and minimise disruption of services to the nursing home residents
- Ensure services to residents with special care requirements are maintained now and in the future
- Provide, where appropriate, environmentally sustainable developments.
- Ensure that heritage assets are protected where applicable.