Moving together for community owned transport and care solutions
MEDIA RELEASE
23 June 2015
Leading community transport providers, Bankstown Canterbury Community Transport, Community Wheels Community Transport and Great Community Transport will form a shared services cooperative to stay viable and grow stronger for the communities they have been serving for more than a quarter of a century.
“Our three organisations have 10,000 clients and currently provide services to 63 per cent of Greater Western Sydney,” said Dennis Hayward, Project Sponsor for the new co-operative. “We have almost 100 years experience in community transport and care between us. We share a strong commitment to high quality services focused on our clients’ needs. Equally, all three organisations are committed to the community owned model of service delivery for eligible community members.
Coming together to share some of the back and front office functions of the organisations is seen as a positive way to meet the changes in the sector such as the Commonwealth and state governments’ reforms to aged care and disability services.
Governments are moving towards a customer centred environment focused on delivering more capacity to an ageing population by lowering administrative expenses and letting service offerings expand, and by putting the control of care budgets into the hands of the consumers themselves.
Transport for NSW is investing in new technologies and projects to help providers get ready to meet the changing landscape for consumers and funders. It is hoped that these changes will lead to an increase in frontline service delivery and a decrease in administration burden by “cutting red tape”.
The three providers decided on the co-operative model as the best way to make sure that they stay connected to their communities and keep their local identity.
“The Federal government’s announcement that from 1 February 2017 funding formerly allocated to service providers will be allocated to the consumer based on their care needs, will play to our strengths as a co-operative,” said Mr Hayward.
“Our clients deserve the best and this is what we will achieve together.”
The three transport providers have restated their intention to maintain and improve on their current services so that no-one in need falls through the cracks.
“Community owned businesses have the advantage of being about relationships rather than transactions. That is something we will share with our clients as we move forward,” said Mr Hayward.
The co-operative is on track to be up and running in late 2015. It is being assisted by the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, the peak body for member owned organisations with funding from Transport for NSW.
ENDS
For more information contact Dennis Hayward, info@bcct.com.au
or Melina Morrison, CEO Business Council of Co-operative and Mutuals, info@bccm.coop