MANSFIELD District Hospital (MDH) has received an additional $14,300 in funding to assist with training for aged care. Following the announcement last week, MDH chief executive officer Mariane Warren said the funding will go towards specialist training for nurses working in aged care including dementia care and special needs care. We applied for capital funding but were unsuccessful, Ms Warren said. The grant was part of the public sector residential aged care services $987,400 funding to the Northern region to improve facilities and quality of care for elderly residents. Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) said health services across Victoria will share in close to $6 million of new grants to help public aged care facilities deliver the best possible care, now and into the future. To help provide the highest quality care, $970,000 will be delivered to buy specialised medical equipment such as electronic beds, pressurerelieving mattresses, electronic shower chairs, mobility aids, lifting equipment, and diagnostic and treatment equipment. A $301,000 funding boost will see more than 250 nurses working in rural public aged care facilities receive training in the comprehensive health assessment of older people, while another $639,400 is earmarked to strengthen business operations ensuring services are sustainable into the future. In small country communities, public providers can be the sole local provider of aged care, and are also central to the local economy and local jobs, Ms Symes said.