A 10-bed dementia care unit in Hobart will close because of Federal Government budget cuts, the state’s Health Minister Michael Ferguson says.
Mr Ferguson said it was “extremely disappointing” that the Jasmine Unit at the Roy Fagan Centre in Lenah Valley would close in April.
He said the decision was made despite “on-going consultation with the Federal Government”.
Workers at the centre were informed this morning, and the Government said it was hopeful staff would be able to be redeployed elsewhere in the Health Department.
Mr Ferguson also said patients who had been treated at the unit would receive “excellent care and high quality support through state-funded services”.
In last year’s federal budget, the Commonwealth signalled it would change how it funded state public hospitals by moving to a new model based on the consumer price index and population growth from 2017.
The State Government has previously described last year’s budget changes as “good, bad and ugly”.