BY DI SNEDDON
DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Both my parents lived at the Mercy Nursing Home in Singleton until they took their last breath. I am on Ourcare Services Ltd. Board. I declare I may have a perceived conflict of interest.
A bombshell was dropped on Singleton on October 29 with the announcement that Mercy Services would cease providing residential aged care services in Singleton.
Residents and their family representatives were invited to a meeting at the home at 2pm on that afternoon with no indication of what that meeting was about.
Staff were told of the closure while residents and their families waited in the dining room for the meeting to start.
Shortly after 2pm Mercy Community Services Australia Ltd Board chairman Charles Reis and board director Janet Farrow then addressed those gathered and told them of the board’s decision to close the facility.
Mr Reis said the building was old, government regulations were stricter along with compliance and safeguard controls and all this came at a cost of overheads the organisation could no longer afford.
“We had a loss of $300,000 last year and $700,000 the year before,” Mr Reis told the shocked crowd who were completely unaware the facility was in any financial distress.
While the timeline for closure is early next year, Mr Reis said it will not close the doors until every resident had found a suitable place to go and said residents and their families will be supported throughout the process.
Family representatives were extremely critical of the manner in which the news was delivered.
Many residents were without the direct support of family given the short notice of the meeting and staff were given no time to consider the impact the news would have on those who call the Mercy home.
It soon became clear that the closure would not come without a fight and more than 260 people attended a public meeting on Sunday to stop the closure.
The meeting was attended by Federal Member Dan Repacholi who is watching the situation closely (see his comments in his regular column on page 11 of today’s Hunter River Times).
Also in attendance was Mercy Services chief executive officer Tony Bidstrup and Department of Health and Aged Care Acting Manager NSW/ACT Jennifer Morser and the Department’s Acting Director Aged Care Operations Robyn O’Grady.
Mr Bidstrup said he had commitment from Mr Reis that the community’s questions would be answered.
He added that there is no hard close date although the Board is aiming for the first quarter of next year.
Many questions were directed at the meeting and a question box was filled with written questions currently being compiled into a letter for the board’s consideration.
Many were demanding the financials be released, something that will happen on January 31.
While there was much comment on the welfare of the existing residents and the future of aged care capacity in Singleton, Fred Turner asked that the community also consider the welfare of those who work at the Mercy.
“This isn’t just a job for them, this is their family and this is there home, they too are suffering from the announcement and I ask the community also consider their welfare,” he said.
Twenty-six people formed an informal committee to drive the future for the Mercy. Initially they have asked for time. They will endeavour to find a new provider to continue residential aged care services at the Combo Lane site.
The Institute of the Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea own the Mercy Aged Care Home’s land and building.
Institute Executive Director David Penny told The Hunter River Times this week that the Institute has enjoyed a long association with the Mercy Aged Care Home and the people of Singleton and is open to having conversations with the community as they work through the options and hopefully find a resolution if at all possible.
View the video of the community meeting
There is also a paid advertisement from Mercy Services on page five of this edition.
