RDNS strikes home nursing deal in China
Large not-for-profit aged care provider RDNS has entered into an agreement with two health care organisations in China to set up home nursing services in the city of Qingdao, with an eye to further expansion.
Large not-for-profit aged care provider RDNS has entered into an agreement with two health care organisations in China to set up home nursing services in the city of Qingdao, with an eye to further expansion.
The memorandum of understanding between RDNS Hong Kong and the Xintu Center for Community Health Promotion (Xintu) in Shanghai and Zi-xin Medical Group (Zi-xin) in Qingdao was signed last week during Australia’s largest trade mission to China.
RDNS CEO Stephen Muggleton said the agreement built on the organisation’s longstanding relationship with Xintu and was aimed at providing new home care services into Qingdao, a city with a population of more than 9 million people.
“RDNS can bring all aspects of home nursing and home care support, specialised education and training programs, aged care research with expertise in dementia, chronic disease and medications management as well as extensive ICT capability including patient information management systems and telehealth,” Mr Muggleton said.
Initially the three organisations will work together to develop a home nursing care service in Qingdao, with the aim of expanding its reach to offer services in other cities and regional communities in China.
Today China has 1.38 billion people with the number of people aged over 60 set to double by 2050 to around 440 million.
With health and aged care services ranking as one of China’s key national development strategies, Mr Muggleton said the latest agreement also signalled the growing relationship between Australian and Chinese healthcare organisations, strengthened by the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
“It is an exciting time for both the Australian and Chinese aged care industries. At the same time we’re transitioning to consumer directed care, China is trialling systems based on voucher entitlements and choice. The similarities are remarkable and the lessons learnt and applied across both jurisdictions are substantial.”
RDNS recently established a joint venture Home Nursing service in Hong Kong, an education and training joint venture in Nanjing and was working with the Shenzhen Government on a range of research and practice projects.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said 134 representatives of Australia’s aged care and health sectors attended Australia Week in China.
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