Article | Creating Resilience
Next Evolution for Aged Care
There’s a natural synergy between medical centre and aged care operators. But the potential is only now being realised.
September 2, 2022
As Australia’s population ages and chronic healthcare conditions such as diabetes and dementia place increasing pressure on the national healthcare system, a natural pairing has emerged in the aged care sector.
Medical centre and aged care operators are increasingly teaming to bring their services under the one roof – a trend Marcello Caspani-Muto from CBRE’s Australian Healthcare and Social Infrastructure team recently explored with Tieran Kimber of Marchese Partners (see below).
“While a handful of Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) providers have leveraged the synergies between medical centre and aged care business operations in recent years, this integration is only now entering mainstream thinking and being considered in new projects and extensions – a process which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Caspani-Muto.
There are numerous benefits for aged care residents and the wider community including the security of immediate and available medical services, with no call-out waiting periods.
The creation of integrated communities and the ability to rapidly administer vaccination programs are among the other benefits.
More importantly, Capani-Muto says bringing these operators together helps improve communication and satisfaction levels and provide more clarity around costs during care administration.
“Ultimately, there is no universal formula which can be applied to guarantee successful integration of care. Also, many aged care residents may suffer from multiple chronic illness and ailments requiring an array of professionals outside of what can be supplied from an on-site medical centre facility,” Capani-Muto notes.
“That said, there are clear benefits for many residents and integrating these services can also improve the community perception of health care providers as well as their bottom line.”
Medical centre and aged care operators are increasingly teaming to bring their services under the one roof – a trend Marcello Caspani-Muto from CBRE’s Australian Healthcare and Social Infrastructure team recently explored with Tieran Kimber of Marchese Partners (see below).
“While a handful of Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) providers have leveraged the synergies between medical centre and aged care business operations in recent years, this integration is only now entering mainstream thinking and being considered in new projects and extensions – a process which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Caspani-Muto.
There are numerous benefits for aged care residents and the wider community including the security of immediate and available medical services, with no call-out waiting periods.
The creation of integrated communities and the ability to rapidly administer vaccination programs are among the other benefits.
More importantly, Capani-Muto says bringing these operators together helps improve communication and satisfaction levels and provide more clarity around costs during care administration.
“Ultimately, there is no universal formula which can be applied to guarantee successful integration of care. Also, many aged care residents may suffer from multiple chronic illness and ailments requiring an array of professionals outside of what can be supplied from an on-site medical centre facility,” Capani-Muto notes.
“That said, there are clear benefits for many residents and integrating these services can also improve the community perception of health care providers as well as their bottom line.”