Springborg delivers blistering spray at the Churches of Christ over aged care closure

Residents of a southern Queensland aged care facility will be forced to move 100km after a major care provider announced it will close the home later this month.

Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor Lawrence Springborg has delivered a blistering spray at the Churches of Christ over the closure of its Inglewood nursing home, describing its handling of the decision as “lacking compassion” and “deplorable”.

The Inglewood aged care facility, known as Casa Mia, which opened in 1996, will shut its doors on October 28, forcing residents to move 100km away.

Despite decades in public office, Mr Springborg said he doubted he had “ever had a worse experience that’s left me more cold” than his dealings with the Churches of Christ over the home’s closure with just three weeks’ notice.

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Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor Lawrence Springborg.

The former health minister in the Newman Government said he was “appalled” by the treatment of residents, their families and staff.

The aged care home is an 11-bed facility overlooking the Inglewood Golf Club. It currently has three residents and seven staff, but Mr Springborg said the Churches of Christ had not been taking new placements at the facility.

“They’ve said they were taking additional bookings. They weren’t,” he said. “People have just been devastated by the way they’ve been treated. It’s been about spin, it’s been about obfuscation, it’s been about denial.

“The way they treated the community was appalling. It’s just terrible.”

Mr Springborg said the Churches of Christ had repeatedly told the council the facility would stay open.

“From the outset I’ve been understanding of the need for businesses to be viable to operate. However, the lack of compassion and transparency from Churches of Christ throughout this process is absolutely deplorable,” he said.

“If Churches of Christ had been honest when we made contact over three months ago, council and locals could have worked towards finding alternate solutions.

“I genuinely feel for the local staff, residents and their families who have endured months of anxiety from Churches of Christ’s misrepresentations. They deserve better.”

The Inglewood aged care facility, known as Casa Mia, will close later this month.

In a statement, Churches of Christ said it would fully support the three residents to relocate.

“We will also be working closely with the seven staff regarding their future, including employment options at our other services,” Churches of Christ in Queensland CEO Gary Edwards said.

Mr Edwards said the decision to close Casa Mia was “not a quick or easy” one to make.

“Inglewood Aged Care Service faced a number of challenges that, ultimately, impacted our ability to continue its operation,” he said.

Churches of Christ Queensland CEO Gary Edwards.

“These included the changing residential aged care environment, the ability to attract qualified clinical support and financial feasibilities.

“We wholeheartedly acknowledge that this has been a difficult time for our residents and staff and apologise for this.”

Mr Edwards said that under legislation, the service was required to give two weeks’ notice to residents and their families regarding the aged care centre’s closure.

He said the availability of residential aged care at the neighbouring Inglewood Multi-Purpose Health Service, and other Churches of Christ nursing homes in the broader region, meant the community continued to be well supported to meet future aged care needs.

But Mr Springborg said the multipurpose health service, while providing excellent care, was “more of a hospital environment” and the nearest nursing home to Inglewood was about 100km away.

Originally published as Springborg delivers blistering spray at the Churches of Christ over aged care closure