August 15th, 2025Just sayin’…

Central Highlands Rural Health is not happy with me. Read their letter below.
The organisation has taken umbrage over the use of the word Ugly, as in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
It is true I used it as a sub-head in the July 14 stories on home care – which were all about raising the issues surrounding our, mostly, elderly people.
I won’t go back into the details but a woman, wishing to die at home and under the care of CHRH, had her respite hours and services cut after being moved to a higher level of care. CHRH could not explain this.

In their letter, CHRH says: “This characterisation is deeply unfair to the dedicated staff who provided exemplary care to the individual mentioned in the article, who had a home care package with CHRH. The staff who delivered this care were hurt by the way their work was portrayed, despite their dedication and compassion.” But at no time did I, or anyone else, denigrate the work of staff.
In fact, of the staff, one of the daughters said in the article: “I cannot fault the workers on the ground, the girls that come and visit mum, they’re fantastic. There’s just not enough of them.”
CHRH are also not happy with a July 28 article, which offered up the fees being charged by them.
They say they are comparable, and in some cases lower, than other agencies but any pub test would call them a tad high. And because they are comparable fees with other aged care agencies does not make them any more affordable.
Respite care fees ranged from $77 per hour on weekdays up to $185 for public holidays which fall on weekends. Registered nurse fees range from $140 an hour to $349 while enrolled nurse fees start at $117 and go up to $293.
Allied health professionals receive up to $199 per hour for Monday to Friday. For plain old property maintenance or gardening the going rate is $90 per hour. I am sure they are all dedicated people doing exemplary work, but with those kind of fees no wonder the money runs out. More a fault of the overall system, I think.
Anyway, all good. Letters are always welcome. And I hope the changes coming to home care make it more accessible and affordable for everyone.
The July council meeting was interesting. If you ever have a few hours to spare you can jump onto YouTube and have a look at our councillors in action.
Mostly they stick to the agenda but at the last meeting Cr Lesley Hewitt added a fairly random motion for the CEO to investigate whether Rea Lands Park could be sold. I must admit, they were talking about selling surplus land.
Now if it was just another piece of land, hello Hepburn Depot and Bleakley Street, whatever. But it is a park that was gifted to the people of Daylesford, not the council, by former shire president and councillor, the late Betty Rea.
For the past 14 years it has been tended by people from the Daylesford Community Food Producers. So it is not just a park, a quiet spot to sit, or bring the kids or the dogs, but also a place of food production.
Those working there say it is a bit “wild” but that’s all to do with diversity and not having to manicure every plant to within an inch of its life. There are big trees, and hidey spots for kids, and places to sit and meditate.
And on Sundays there is a steady stream of people coming and going to the market, calling in for a chat, perhaps some gardening advice.
The council will have to investigate now but I hope they find it’s not worth the trouble. Like home care, it can’t always be about the money. Just sayin’…

Letters

I write in response to your recent articles on Home Care Packages, which unfairly characterised Central Highlands Rural Health (CHRH) and the care provided by our staff.
In your first article (July 14, 2025), our service was labelled as “the ugly.” This characterisation is deeply unfair to the dedicated staff who provided exemplary care to the individual mentioned in the article, who had a home care package with CHRH. The staff who delivered this care were hurt by the way their work was portrayed, despite their dedication and compassion.
Our team often went above and beyond to support the client and their family, who in turn expressed their gratitude through heartfelt thank-you cards and gifts.
To associate such committed care with the term “ugly” disregards the efforts of our staff and the high standards of care consistently delivered by CHRH.
In your second article (July 28, 2025), it was implied that CHRH charges high fees. This is simply not true. A review of publicly available data on other Home Care Package providers in our region shows that CHRH fees are comparable and, in some cases, lower. Your article should have included these comparable figures for context, which would have provided a more balanced and accurate picture for readers.
CHRH is a publicly funded, not-for-profit organisation committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred care under strict regulatory oversight.
We are fully transparent with our finances – our financial information is publicly available and published in our annual reports, which can be viewed on our website.
It is also important to note that CHRH is the only true local provider of Home Care Packages in this area. Our staff live and work in these communities, whereas other providers are based regionally, in Melbourne, and sometimes interstate.
Finally, the last thing we want is for people in our community who need a Home Care Package to hesitate in seeking support because they have read articles suggesting these services are inadequate. Inflammatory reporting risks discouraging vulnerable people from accessing the care they need and deserve. The coverage presented in your recent articles failed to fairly represent the care, commitment, and integrity of our services and staff.
We ask that future reporting acknowledges all the facts and reflects the full context of the care we provide to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

• Maree Cuddihy
  Chief Executive Officer, Central Highlands Rural Health