Hinchinbrook MP, Andrew Cripps, has welcomed news that the applications of both Tully Nursing Home and Warrina Innisfail have been successful in the 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round.

Mr Cripps said he was delighted to learn that Warrina Innisfail had secured 40 residential care places, while the Tully Nursing Home had secured 20 residential care places and a capital grant.

“The Tully Nursing Home has received a $3.9 million capital grant towards the cost of establishing the additional 20 beds, which will help deliver these places for the local community” said Mr Cripps.

“Warrina Innisfail is planning an expansion of its capacity to provide residential aged care services to the Innisfail district and these extra 40 funded beds will certainly help those plans along” he said.

“Together, these two successful applications are a huge boost to the delivery of aged care in the Cassowary Coast Region and I thank the Federal LNP Government for these timely allocations”.

“I would like to congratulate the volunteer boards and senior staff at the Tully Nursing Home and Warrina Innisfail on their successful applications for these additional residential care places”.

Mr Cripps said the successful applications came after he enlisted the support of North Queensland based LNP Senator Ian Macdonald, who visited the both aged care facilities in early 2017.

“I’m grateful to Senator Macdonald for his advocacy on behalf of Warrina Innisfail and Tully Nursing Home and I’m pleased to have been able to facilitate his visits to learn more about their efforts”.

“Ian was a keen as I was to see both the Tully Nursing Home and Warrina Innisfail secure the additional funded places they needed to expand the aged care services to the local community”.

Mr Cripps said the Federal LNP Government had approved 9,911 new residential aged care places and an additional $649 million in funding as part of the 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round.