RSL LifeCare has announced a “temporary suspension” of 15 of the 68 beds at its Albert Moore Gardens aged care home in Merimbula, on the NSW South Coast.
The beds on levels 1 and 2 will close for at least 12 months, ostensibly due to staffing issues, according to an email to the families of Albert Moore Gardens residents seen by the Bega District News.
1
5 residents will be affected, and the provider has promised to cover all arrangements and relocation costs; no staff are expected to lose their jobs.
“RSL LifeCare’s priority is to provide the best possible care for our residents, and as a responsible provider of residential aged care, we work hard to ensure we have the appropriate number of trained staff to continue to provide a high standard of care to all our residents.
“The ability of aged care providers across Australia to recruit residential aged care staff has been progressively in decline for the past few years.
“Where we cannot ensure we have enough trained staff in one location, a reduction in the number of residents is the responsible approach to take,” said Matthew Filocamo (pictured), RSL LifeCare’s general manager, in a statement.
The Merimbula home is already housing several residents who had been moved from RSL LifeCare’s closed Roy Wotton Gardens RAC in Eden; while none of those residents are slated to be moved again, other residents will be, in a process that will take 4-6 weeks.
