Signature Care’s Wagga Wagga $40 million (plus land) aged care home, in NSW, 450km southwest of Sydney, has reached full occupancy with 144 residents in only five months. 

The group’s 144-bed Singleton home in Western Australia is also full, having only opened in March 2023.

Signature Care typically expects to make a $1 million loss on opening as it has to employ a full administration, maintenance, catering, and cleaning team as occupancy ramps up and they train staff prior to opening.

But because the Wagga home filled so quickly, those losses have been mitigated, Signature Care Managing Director, Graeme Croft, told The SOURCE.

Expansion of the Wagga home to 180 beds has commenced, and is expected to be complete in February 2024. 

“We already hold strong enquiries,” Graeme said.

Graeme says staff are attracted to Signature Care’s offer of permanent, secure quality roles with a future. 

“We find committed employees want to be with a trusted employer that is offering a secure future for employment rather than work in sub-standard facilities with an unsure future,” he said. 

Signature Care’s regional homes have been filling fast. 

Their 180-bed home in Maryborough, QLD, opened in March 2022 and was full by February 2023 (11 months) and their Cardinia, VIC, 190-bed home opened in November 2022 and was full by June 2023 (8 months).   

The SOURCE: Two thirds of residential aged care homes are operating at a loss, yet Signature Care has developed a successful model that clearly works.