Not for Profit Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT announced yesterday it is going to close an aged care home built in 1979 and a low-care hostel that was caring for residents with complex difficulties, blaming it on ongoing staffing shortages.
Residents and their families at the 33 single-room Currawarna RAC (pictured) in Bombala in southeastern NSW, and the 32-unit Tenison facility in Swansea, Lake Macquarie, were informed of the closures yesterday morning.
The Commonwealth Department of Health said yesterday nine aged care homes had closed in December and seven homes had informed the department they intend to close this month.
40 elderly residents in total will have to find other accommodation. Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Senator Richard Colbeck told a Senate Estimates Community Affairs Legislation Committee hearing yesterday that providers closing down “have an obligation to continue to provide care until all residents have found an alternative place.”
“Some of them should close,” Senator Colbeck said.
“There are a number of providers out there where the building infrastructure doesn’t conform to anything like what modern-day facilities should provide."
Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT CEO Helen Emmerson (photo) said for the Bombala home to operate, seven full-time staff members, including two registered nurses, are needed. It had not been able to recruit permanent staff to the town. Bombala has a lack of allied health services and insecure GP coverage.
The Swansea Tenison facility also faced significant staffing pressures. The decision was made to consolidate the workforce into Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT's nearby Caves Beach home, which can also cater to the increasingly complex needs of residents.
“Tenison was built in 1997 and intended as a low care hostel. In the two decades Southern Cross Care has been operating the home, the needs of residents have grown increasingly complex but the facility just isn't built to accommodate those needs,” she said.
“A significant capital investment would be needed to bring the home up to standard.”
