Yackandandah Health outlook focus of Dr Tess Goodwin after vote

Tess Goodwin was commenting after a takeover bid by private company Apollo Care was rejected in a vote on Wednesday June 21, 2023 with a threshold of 75 per cent support not met.

"The community needs to support the board and look at some community-led solutions and work with the federal government," Dr Goodwin said.

"We're confident things will keep going, the medical centre continues as is.

"There will be no changing of clinical governance and patient records and confidentiality, that's all safe which is good."

Focus in the short term will be on the federal government and whether extra aged care funding, which is to end on June 30, 2023, will continue now the takeover has failed.

It is understood that matter was discussed at a board meeting on Thursday June 22 but Yackandandah Health chairman Doug Westland and secretary Tim Evans did not return The Border Mail's calls.

Mr Evans told ABC Goulburn Murray radio the board would seek to lengthen that Commonwealth aid.

"One of the things that we need to do as a board is to re-engage in our conversation with the federal government to see whether the grants funding we've been getting, it's called structural adjustment funding, is able to be extended for a period of time to enable us to have a look at some more options," Mr Evans said.

"We'll probably be chatting with them today, I think."

The office of federal Aged Care Minister Annika Wells did not answer The Border Mail's inquiries about granting a funding extension.

A spokesperson noted structural aid given since March was to ensure Yackandandah Health kept "financially viable and complaint with their company obligations" as a process which saw Apollo Care emerge was undertaken.

Indi MP Helen Haines spoke to the Yackandandah Health board about the next steps, but declined to elaborate further.

Dr Goodwin hopes Canberra will realise the value in continuing to support the GP practice and Little Yacks childcare centre in addition to the aged care hub.

"I think the federal government has got an interest in promoting childcare in regional and rural areas and ensuring services are maintained," she said.

Dr Goodwin said the government also needed to ponder why the system emerging from the Royal Commission into aged care was making it harder for small rural communities and favouring larger corporate structures.

Former Yackandandah Health board member Nelson McIntosh, who voted against the deal, said the no vote reflected uncertainty about the tie-up with Apollo.

"I'm not proud of myself but I'm also passionate about Yackandandah and we need a few more answers and it was all too quick and too late," Mr McIntosh said.

He reiterated his commitment made earlier this week to put forward $100,000 or more into a fighting fund to find a different outcome to Apollo taking over.

"If I say something I won't go back on my word," Mr McIntosh said.

"If I make a statement I will stick to it, I won't say I'll have second thoughts."

Dr Goodwin said ideally it would be good to have another six months of government aid to allow for a town-driven solution and a valuation of the health service's property.

Apollo chief executive Stephen Becsi welcomed the 61 per cent support for the takeover which he said followed a "courageous decision" of Yackandandah Health to seek a deal.

"The Apollo Care Alliance wishes the Yackandandah community the very best as it navigates the path forward to providing excellent services to the residents, and their families, in aged care, the children and parents at Little Yacks, the townspeople attending the general practice, as well as all the wonderful staff," Mr Becsi said in a statement.

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