Brightwater latest to announce closures
Western Australian aged care provider Brightwater Care Group has announced it is to close three of its facilities.
Perth aged care provider Brightwater Care Group has announced it is to close three of its facilities
Citing difficulties in meeting a new staffing mandate that requires residential aged care homes to have a registered nurse onsite 24/7 from 1 July, Brightwater will close its sites in Joondalup, Huntingdale and South Lake within the next 12 months.
“Unfortunately, modelling of our rosters to meet the new minimum staffing requirements has shown that our smallest facilities will not be best placed to deliver the quality of care we pride ourselves on in a financially sustainable way,” said Brightwater chief executive Catherine Stoddart in a statement.
The age of the facilities was also a factor in the decision to close the sites, said Professor Stoddart. “The facilities were designed in the early 1990s as lower care sites and don’t enable Brightwater to deliver high quality care to those residents with higher care needs.”
The decision to close three of its sites wasn’t easy, said Professor Stoddart, “however, it is critical for the ongoing delivery of our business.”
She said the provider would work closely with the 75 residents affected across the sites to relocate them to other facilities – either within the Brightwater group or other homes that will meet their long-term care needs.
“We do not want to rush this process,” said Professor Stoddart. “It is critical we find the right facility for each resident and ensure their transition is as smooth as possible.”
Support will also be offered to the 160 staff at the sites to help them find alternative roles within the Brightwater group, said Professor Stoddart. “We have recently opened a 128-bed facility at Inglewood which creates opportunity for staff.”
Moving forward, Brightwater will remain committed to the long-term sustainability of its remaining nine aged care homes across Perth, she said.
The Brightwater announcement follows the news last week that not-for-profit provider Wesley Mission is to close all of its three Sydney aged care homes at the end of May affecting hundreds of staff and residents. Once again, workforce challenges and aged care reforms were given as the reason for the closures.
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