Anglicare Council announced today that two of its older Aged Care nursing homes, Chesalon Malabar and Chesalon Manly, will need to close in 2007.
The statement comes just days after Anglicare announced plans to save its aged care division by expanding into the provision of low-care facilities. (read here)
The closures are directly linked to Government policies. In 1997, the Commonwealth Government's Department of Health and Aging changed the accreditation criteria for nursing homes in Australia. Nursing facilities not meeting the new building certification criteria by 2008 would no longer be accredited and would not receive Government funding to provide services.
The Government's changes to residential aged care has revolutionalised Residential Aged Care facilities, says Carol Allen, General Manager of Anglicare's Chesalon Aged Care Services, however there have also been a number of nursing facilities, which have closed because it is not possible to upgrade the building stock.
Part of the new accreditation criteria is to discontinue the traditional style ward set up of up to six residents in each room. The new facilities are to accommodate no more than two residents in a room with ablution facilities that provide greater privacy and dignity for the residents.
Anglicare, like many other aged care providers, have rebuilt many of their older facilities to align with the changes. "The rebuilding program has received limited funding from Government and has taken its toll on our finances over the last six years," says Carol Allen,
"Chesalon nursing homes were built through the commitment and care of so many people in the churches and community and we are so very grateful for the many years of support. In 2003 we celebrated our 60th year of providing care. This has only been achieved through hardworking auxiliary groups and community partners. Malabar and North Manly were built in the 1970's and sadly we have no way of meeting the building certification requirements at these sites," said Ms Allen.
Many options have been explored for retaining services at the Malabar and North Manly sites, but unfortunately land has not been available.
"It is impossible to rebuild these nursing homes on the land that we have and there is just no new affordable land available," said Ms Allen.
The nursing homes are scheduled to close sometime in 2007, but until then ‘it’s business as usual’.
Anglicare spokesperson Dearne Cameron explained both staff and residents will be relocated to other facilities, where possible, once a final closing date is announced.
"The homes will close some time in 2007 " that's some time away," she said, adding there is likely to be some job losses. "We appreciate that not all staff will want to relocate to a position in another part of the Diocese."
