Natalie Barr blows up about the treatment of Wesley Mission nursing home residents now left homeless

Natalie Barr has let loose on a care home operator who will soon be forcing hundreds of vulnerable residents into homelessness, asking, “How could this happen?”

The host of Sunrise was shocked Thursday morning by the fate of aged care residents at Wesley Mission in Sydney after the operator announced it will be closing all of its homes in the city within weeks.

The shocking decision will affect homes in Sylvania, Carlingford and Narrabeen, meaning nearly 200 residents and their families will be thrown into crisis when they close next month.

Wesley Mission said it made the call after struggling to meet new national staffing requirements.

But Barr had little time for explanation and demanded, “How could this happen?”

“When you have a relative, a parent, grandparent, someone you know trying to get into a retirement home in this country, it’s so hard on a good day,” she said.

“The families of these people must be in shock.”

The Rev. Stu Cameron, CEO and Superintendent of Wesley Mission, said: “The aged care industry is experiencing challenges in terms of staffing and the impact of national aged care reforms. Wesley Mission supports these once-in-a-generation reforms, improving quality for all healthcare users.”

“However, it’s a challenging environment to be a smaller provider. With only three aged care sites, our range in this area is small compared to the large and varied range of community services we provide in NSW and across Australia.”

It is clear that the three Sydney facilities will not close until everyone has somewhere to go and staff are supported in finding new employment elsewhere.

“At this stage, we expect to close our centers by the end of May 2023, before which time we will do everything we can to support residents in choosing a new home that meets their needs,” said Rev. Cameron.

‘We will also support affected employees in finding a new position, or with help in finding a position with another provider.’

The operator has a legal obligation to find new care for its displaced residents.

The Department of Health and Aged Care said it was unaware of Wesley’s decision to close one of its aged care facilities.

‘Residents only have to move once suitable accommodation has been found,’ says the department ABC.

Last July, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells announced major reforms requiring carers to have a registered nurse on duty 24/7 from 1 July this year.

The Elderly Care Amendment Act also increased care time for residents to 200 minutes per day, including 40 nursing minutes, effective October 1.

But last month, Ms. Wells admitted that about one in 20 facilities would fall short of this target.

The sector is still short of thousands of workers, but the government is trying to attract more people by raising the minimum wage standard by 15 percent from July.

Wesley Mission closed their Tebbutt facility in Dundas in Sydney’s northwest last year because they were unable to carry out the major construction work that was required.

“Providing amenities that support the needs of our residents is an increasing challenge both internally and externally in this location,” Rev. Cameron said last June.