Respite care centre faces possible closure

Albany's only general respite service may be forced to close its doors in July if it cannot secure funding.

Albany Community Care Centre's respite centre has provided short-term respite and accommodation to carers or care recipients over the age of 45 for the past five years.

The centre's one-year $370,000 Federal Health Department funding finishes on June 30, and centre chief executive Colleen Tombleson said no new financial support had been confirmed from State or Federal Governments to allow it to remain open.

"I am extremely frustrated and disappointed," she said.

"There does not seem to be any consideration at a State or Federal level for what carers do.

"I hope someone recognises the value of the service we provide, but I am not confident they will."

Ms Tombleson said the centre provided an essential service and had been operating at 90-95 per cent capacity since opening.

"There are roughly 20 people awaiting residential care placement at the moment in Albany, so those numbers will potentially increase as carers do not have access to respite to sustain their role as a carer," she said.

"We can provide 43,000 hours of care per year.

"If the Health Department had to provide the same level of support, it would cost them substantially more."

Ms Tombleson said she was concerned primary carers' ability to provide long-term care would be compromised if they could not visit the centre to recuperate, catch up on sleep or socialise.

She said 10 part-time employees who ran the 24-hour, five-bed service would lose their jobs if it closed.

"We have stopped taking bookings after July and have started a waiting list in case we are successful," she said.

Federal Member for O'Connor Rick Wilson said the centre provided a "unique" service.

Mr Wilson and WA Senator Dean Smith met with Ms Tombleson last week to discuss possible funding solutions.

"Unfortunately, once again the Albany Community Care Centre is locked out of any funding through the normal channels," he said. "It is frustrating - we spent a lot of time on this last year and we thought it would be an interim measure until a new round of National Respite for Carers Program funding was available and at this stage, that has not happened.

"Senator Smith and I are looking at all possibilities (and) working very hard to find a new funding stream.

"We are doing our best to get a result."

Mr Wilson said a representative from Federal Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield's office was expected to visit the centre in the next few weeks to discuss funding.