The WA-based family-owned aged care operator has revealed the majority of Bonaira staff have accepted offers of employment, with regulatory approval from the Department of Health and Aged Care for the transfer of operations expected in "the next week or two".
A condition of the approval is that the home care services are transferred to Hall & Prior on the first calendar day of the month, so the intended date for the transfer of all Blue Haven Bonaira services to Hall & Prior is 1 April 2025. Commercial completion and handover will occur on Monday 31 March 2025, with Hall & Prior on site at Blue Haven Bonaira in the lead up to that date, a statement from the operator said. Kiama Council agreed to the settlement date at an Extraordinary Meeting on Thursday 6 March.
The 134-bed Blue Haven Bonaira, which cost Kiama Council $105 million to build, has been plagued by controversy since it opened in 2019 and has been blamed for the Council's poor financial position. The home lost $660,000 in July 2022 alone. A NSW Government-issued Performance Improvement Order was issued in November 2022.
Last week, The Weekly SOURCE reported that the NSW Industrial Relations Commission had exempted Kiama Council from paying staff redundancies.
Hall & Prior, which has 24 aged care homes in WA, 13 in NSW, and one in Canberra, agreed to buy Blue Haven Bonaira in June 2024, with settlement initially expected three months later. Settlement was pushed back on several occasions, with additional time being needed for due diligence and "transitional work".
Browse residential aged care on the #1 listings website agedcare101.com.au
