The recent announcement that the community loved Carinity Summit Cottages residential aged care facility in Mount Morgan will close in December 2023, has come as a shock to the whole community.
The 25 bed facility which provides quality care to residents in the Mount Morgan community have advised the community that they will have to close due to the Albanese Labor Government’s ill-conceived commitment to have at least one Registered Nurse on site and on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at all aged care residential facilities despite the current workforce shortages.
Speaking about the closure, Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce said it is a tragic outcome for the community and the older Australians who call Carinity Summit Cottages home.
“Even with an offer for the exemption criteria it’s of no help when there’s no registered nurses available to fill the positions. Carinity have advised that the ongoing nation-wide shortage of aged care staff, combined with Mount Morgan’s regional location, has made staffing the facility increasingly difficult in recent months,” Mr Boyce said.
“As the aged care sector deals with the immense stress of trying to fulfill this requirement when the workforce is just not there, we know that facilities have already had to close and many more are considering this option in the Flynn electorate, forcing older Australians out of their homes.”
Senator Anne Ruston, Shadow Minister for Aged Care, said “residents in communities like Mount Morgan deserve the right to age in their community. However, expedited requirements from this Labor Government are tragically seeing older Australians forced to leave their communities and aged care homes forced to close as they cannot fulfill legal obligations imposed on them” the Shadow Minister said.
“It is shocking that the Minister for Aged Care has not provided any support to providers like Carinity who are doing their best to provide high quality care for the older Australians.
“It is important that older Australians get the care they need, but the Labor Government has pushed forward blindly with these reforms, ignoring the repercussions on rural and regional areas already feeling the impact of the aged care workforce shortage.”
