Dubbo: Catholic Healthcare facility announces closure to 36 residents and families

Residents will be forced to relocate out of an aged care facility in the state’s west following a shock announcement from management. Here is what families need to know.

Catholic Healthcare's St Mary's Villa in Dubbo is shutting down due to not being able to provide high quality care for residents. Picture: Catholic Healthcare

More than 35 residents and their families will be impacted by the closure of an aged care facility in the state’s west after a shock announcement.

Catholic Healthcare announced it will close its St Mary’s Villa in Dubbo after the facility has accepted “it’s no longer suitable for the future care needs of the community”.

Impacting 36 residents and their families, acting chief executive officer Josh McFarlane told The Dubbo News the aged care facility will not have a “shutdown date” until each resident is moved to a new facility or alternative accommodation.

Acting chief executive officer Joshua McFarlane. Photo: Supplied.

He noted the building is a former men’s refuge and is not suitable for contemporary aged care needs – focusing on lower care.

“The challenge that we’ve had is that you can’t really provide low care at St Mary’s because the residents are ageing and when people coming into an aged care facility, they want acute care,” Mr McFarlane said.

“People who come in with high needs want services and it’s just not set up for that.”

The not-for-profit company also obtain Holy Spirit, located at 6 Tony McGrane Pl, Dubbo, and will focus their efforts into the contemporary home.

He said there are some vacancies available in the home and aims to work with other providers to ensure every resident has a home.

“We’ve also got another 41 services around NSW and Queensland with families saying they have loved ones in Sydney or Queensland and are willing to make the move so that has been great,” Mr McFarlane said.

“This is their home and some of them have been living in the home for a while.

“I think there’s a mix of responses – I think some people were upset and shocked but understood it.

Mr McFarlane shared his concern for the staff saying the company is looking to relocate workers in other facilities while providing a limited number of redundancies.

NSW Seniors Minister Jodie Harrison said she had been assured the facility will not be closed until each resident has found a home.

Seniors Minister Jodie Harrison. NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

“It’s important that residents with dementia and other needs receive the appropriate care, and Catholic Healthcare confirms that its Dubbo facility is fit-for-purpose and better able to meet the future care needs of its residents,” Ms Harrison said.

Older Persons Advocacy Network chief executive officer Craig Gear told The Dubbo News that while it is important that aged care providers can guarantee high quality and safe care, the closure will impact older people and their families.

OPAN boss Craig Gear

Mr Gear commended the facility for not shutting down until every occupant has a stable home.

“It’s important to ensure appropriate time frames to allow people to make, I suppose, unhurried decisions about where they want to appropriately move to because it’s these people’s homes as well as being a care facility,” Mr Gear said.

“People can have choice and control about where they might move to next.”

OPAN is lobbying for a national protocol, calling for the appropriate engagement and advocacy services to make shutdowns less distressing for older people and families.