BY JEM ANSHAW
It was a full house at the Gummun Place Community Information Session last week, but unfortunately, those present left with no clear idea of what the path forward is.
The Merriwa facility is under threat of closure due to financial difficulties with Upper Hunter Shire Council unable to attract a provider to take over the operating licence currently held by Council.
Residents say its closure would mean leaving elderly people without crucial support at the only facility of its kind in town.
Upper Hunter Shire Council hosted the session that opened with the presentation of a report by Pride Aged Living on the 16-bed aged care hostel and then opened the floor to questions and discussion.
There was a lot of frustration from the community about the situation, but Cr Pat Ryan who chairs the Gummun Place Advisory Committee encouraged everyone to focus on how the community can move forward.
“I think the point is that we can’t change what’s happened, we must look forward, and I think beating a dead carcass isn’t going to give us a solution,” he said as the meeting progressed.
A very abridged summary of the report, which can be found in full on the Upper Hunter Shire Council website, concluded that a 16-bed stand-alone facility like Gunnum Place is not financially viable in the current Aged Care climate.
There is a significant financial deficit accrued each year from the operational costs. Compounding the situation is the need for significant work needed to bring the facility up to standards that any potential investors would be required to do.
Upper Hunter Shire Council has already run an expression of interest process, reaching out to over 160 aged care providers to look at leasing or selling the property, but only one party came back to council as interested but stepped away after looking further into Gummun Place.
Passionate community members spoke about the desire to stay in the community they love as they are no longer able to live at home, and were asking what council have been doing to try and make sure this can happen.
In response to this, council shared they have been unsuccessful twice in applications for $2 million in federal funding to do capital works on the facility and are currently working on another application for the same purpose.
The Pride Aged Living report offered three options for the facility to move forward, following the unsuccessful EOI process, they are:
- Increasing the size of the facility to include more beds, taking into account current aged care business modelling states a minimum of 60 beds is required to be cost effective and it could be difficult for this investment to be returned,
- Subsidize the existing facility, Council would need to invest further into the facility for the capital works required, or find ways to secure ongoing funding to ensure the continued operation long term,
- Close the facility.
Following the community meeting council staff will prepare a report for councillors with consideration of the Pride Aged Living report and community feedback, which will be on the agenda at a future council meeting.
