G'bah nursing home hits back at concerns about job cuts

"THERE are no plans to close the central kitchen... we will not be reheating frozen plated meals.”

There have been concerns about potential job cuts at a Goonellabah aged care facility. Picture: Patrick Gorbunovs

A GOONELLABAH aged care facility says it is working to increase care hours, despite concerns from the union that it planned to cut staff.

A spokesperson for Uniting Care Caroona said correspondence which showed that 25 positions would be discontinued and another 60 workers would be affected by shift changes was "only an estimate, and was incorrectly misrepresented by the HSU (Health Services Union) as staff cuts".

"It has not been helpful to have these numbers published as we continue to consult with staff, residents and families," the spokesperson said.

"There are no plans to close the central kitchen at Caroona Goonellabah.

"The food preparation model is not changing.

"We will not be reheating frozen plated meals.

"In line with our Household model, the core portion of main meals will be prepared in our central kitchen and then transferred to household kitchens and dining rooms where residents live for finishing, sides to be prepared/added where needed, plating and serving."

The Uniting spokesperson said while some kitchen roles "will no longer exist and there will be an overall reduction in kitchen hours", the facility was planning to increase the number of care hours.

"We are committed to redeploying affected staff into other roles wherever possible, including in newly created roles," the statement explained.

"Affected kitchen staff are being offered care-based roles and appropriate training to assist them to transition into these newly created roles.

"We have, and continue to offer staff training in Cert III Aged Care.

"Care staff rosters at Caroona Goonellabah will be set based on resident care needs.

"The proposed rosters will involve changes to starting and finishing times to align with these needs."

Health Services Union NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said Uniting Care Caroona had not provided the union with full details on how many positions would be lost, how many hours would be cut, or how work will be redistributed among staff.