Queensland alliance grows

A small for-profit provider has reluctantly joined the Queensland Alliance, saying it will not be able build new high care beds under the current funding model.

The Noosa Nursing Centre has been forced to abandon plans for an expansion at its 230-bed Tewantin facility.

Director of Nursing Stephen Leggett said the organisation’s current extension project in Gympie had caused too many “headaches”, while construction of a new facility at South West Rocks in New South Wales has had to be put on hold.

“The extension of the Gympie facility has been ‘hellish’, trying to justify ourselves to our financial institution,” Mr Leggett said.

“They want to know about our future resident mix and how many bonds we will have and we just don’t have that information.

“We have had valuers come into our facility and tell us that the banks don’t see high-quality high care as a good investment,” Mr Leggett said.

Mr Leggett said with the costs of construction reaching $200,000 per high-care bed, building projects were not viable.

But even more pressing is the need to attract and retain quality staff when nursing agencies and the acute sector are able to offer better wages.

“We just can’t attract the staff,” Mr Leggett said. “There is a massive wage disparity for RNs of up to $9 an hour.

“I had one RN who came in a couple of weeks after an interview to finalise her paperwork but then I mentioned the wages and I didn’t see her again. We get it all the time.”