Sydney aged care Wesley Mission closures: Why it’s happening and what you can do

Aged care home residents have been “in tears” at their mass evictions that have already claimed three homes, with fears more could close. See what experts say you need to do.

The two hundred residents and their families impacted by the shock closure of three aged care homes in Sydney, should be actively looking for alternative accommodation themselves, an advocacy expert has advised.

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) CEO Craig Gear said in practical terms families and residents from the three Wesley Mission homes who were told on Tuesday they had to be out by May, should be looking at the Star Ratings to see which facilities are suitable and start calling them.

He said Wesley Mission itself, the government and advocacy groups, like OPAN will also work with them to find a solution.

“If residents and relatives are concerned they can call OPAN,” Mr Gear said.

“We want to reassure people that this can be done smoothly, and help take the anxiety away.”

Wesley Mission announced on Tuesday it was shutting its three remaining Sydney aged care facilities in Narrabeen, Sylvania and Carlingford in May, due to “challenges to workforce and flow-on impacts from the national reforms”.

It is also understood that the ageing infrastructure of two of Wesley Mission’s buildings and the significant investment needed to upgrade them, was an additional financial pressure which made the viability of the operation untenable.

Wesley Vickery Sylvania is a residential aged care facility in the Sutherland Shire. Picture: Supplied

Wesley Rayward Aged Care facility in Carlingford. Picture: Supplied

The financial sustainability of many other providers is now considered “critical” and there are fears the rush to “tick and flick” election commitments could claim further centres nationally.

Mr Gear said concerned relatives in other homes should ask their provider what their future plans are, and if there are to be any changes, which is their right under the aged care charter.

“Older people have the rght to information about things that might effect their care and support,”Mr Gear said.

“There should be open disclosure.”

Following news of the closures on Tuesday, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells hit back saying Wesley Mission was not “blindsided” by the reform changes and warned against “scare campaigns” around the new rules.

Aged care providers are facing a July 1 deadline to employ a nurse 24/7 at every site, despite a desperate workforce shortage, as part of Royal Commissions recommendations to improve the sector.

They are also required to meet increased care requirements — from 200 minutes per resident per day by October 1 to 215 by 2024.

Shadow Minister Aged Care Anne Ruston blamed the Wesley closures on Labor being “reckless and damaging” in its deadlines for reform.

Shadow Minister for Aged Care Anne Ruston.

“In their rush to tick and flick election commitments, the Albanese Labor Government failed to consider the challenging circumstances faced by the sector due to serious workforce shortages,” Ms Ruston said.

“The Coalition has always been clear that we support older Australians receiving the best care possible, but bringing forward the Royal Commission’s recommended timelines and imposing rigid constraints on the aged care sector has been proved reckless and damaging.

“We do not want to see any aged care homes close as a result of the significant pressures being placed on the sector, but without urgent action from the Government, this is already occurring and remains a serious ongoing concern.”

The Wesley Mission closures will be a blow to the Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells who last month reassured providers that if they were unable to meet the requirements by the July deadline, no home would be forced to close.

She called out Wesley Mission, having met the CEO just two weeks ago, for not raising the issue with her.

Wesley Taylor Aged Care facility in Narrabeen. Picture: Supplied

“If they had I would have told them the government provides a lot of resources and information to facilities struggling to meet the requirements we are asking them for,” Ms Wells said.

She added that the 24/7 nursing requirement was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission two years ago, so this “was no blindside”.

Ms Wells urged people to discount the scare campaigns and refused “to apologise for raising standards in aged care”.

Independent federal MP for Mackellar Sophie Scamps said the 15 per cent pay increase in minimum wages for aged care workers was due to be introduced in full from June 30 and would help with securing and retaining staff.

“This is really distressing news for all residents and their families, as well as the staff who are losing their jobs,” she said about the closures.

“I’ll be speaking to Wesley Mission to understand more about what has driven this decision.

“After 10 years of neglect and a lack of investment, our aged care sector is in crisis.

“It’s now incumbent on the Albanese government to urgently address staff shortages in the aged-care sector while also helping facilities to transition rapdily to 24/7 care from registered nurses.”

The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese with Aged Care Minister Anika Wells. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The closures on Tuesday follows the latest financial report from chartered accountants StewartBrown out this week that found the financial sustainability of many providers was now “critical”.

The report found operating losses continued to grow in the residential aged care sector in the last six months of 2022, due to workforce availability.

StewartBrown said the average operating loss was now $15.98 per bed day, up from $10.31 from the year before and recommended the government hands out an emergency funding package for providers “to ensure current viability and allow for the necessary funding reforms to be properly implemented”.

StewartBrown Partner David Sinclair said workforce availability was “costing providers due to having to pay staff overtime or agency staff” and that was compounded by additional staff needed as part of the reforms.

He said it was particularly an issue for small providers and would not say whether he thought this would result in further closures.

However, Mr Sinclair said what they were seeing was many small providers being bought up by larger ones with “bigger pockets”.

‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’

Adele Hibbert is being forced out of her home at Wesley Taylor Village just four months after selling her house to secure a bed at the northern beaches facility.

The 88 year-old and other residents of the Narrabeen aged-care home were told at a meeting on Tuesday they had to move as the facility was shutting its doors.

“Everyone is so upset, people have been in tears, it’s been awful,” Mrs Hibbert said.

“One woman has lived here for 22 years, she doesn’t know where she’s going to go.”

Mrs Hibbert said she would not have moved in if she had known the facility would close four months later.

Adele Hibbert, 88, is a resident at Wesley Taylor Village in Narrabeen. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“I sold my house, I gave up a lifetime of independent living, now this,” she said. “I’m so worried, I’m shattered.”

Her son, John Hibbert, is furious with the way the elderly residents were informed.

“The one thing I was offended by was there was not one person from the board at that meeting, not one person from high up talking to the residents about it,” he said. “They were happy to take our deposit four months ago, but they must have known what was happening. This sort of thing doesn’t happen overnight.”

In a letter to residents, Wesley Mission said “workforce challenges” and “recent reforms” to the sector contributed to the decision.

What to do if your aged care home closes:

*Call an advocacy group such as the Older Persons Advocacy Network for advice or support on 1800 700600

*Look at the Star Ratings to see which facilities are performing well.

*Discuss with your loved one what they want from their aged care home and then start calling around.

*The provider and the government also have some responsibility to help find residents a new place, so liaise with them.

*Residents should be presented with several options, not just one.

Originally published as Sydney aged care Wesley Mission closures: Why it’s happening and what you can do