Anglicare and ARV Better Together

The parliament of our church voted unanimously this week to merge Anglicare and Anglican Retirement Villages (ARV) to better meet the need for their services in the future.

Archbishop Glenn Davies told a special synod called to consider a merger that the landscape of aged care in Australia has dramatically changed.

“The future will see constraints placed on government funding of aged care services and development of the practice of consumer directed care. Users of aged care services will be required to pay more and will be given greater say in the way their services are delivered.” Dr Davies said.

“This is a dramatic shift in social policy by the Commonwealth Government, which has significant ramifications for both organisations. New players are entering the field of aged care services. These are large, international, for-profit organisations who are growing at a rapid rate. Scale will be vital for growth: scale is the new criterion for survival.”

Dr Davies said he was thankful for the strength of both Anglicare and ARV. “Strong financially, strong in reputation and strong in the foundation of their work on the love of Jesus Christ. I am thankful that we are able to look with confidence to the future and are able to plan that future from a position of strength.”

The Archbishop paid tribute to the 4,000 staff who work at Anglicare and ARV and the thousands of volunteers who he said ‘contribute greatly to our mission’. “I am excited about the prospect of one formidable agency working alongside our parishes to share the gospel by word and deed.” the Archbishop said.

Report from sydneyanglicans.net