At a special general meeting earlier this week members of Tenterfield Care Centre Ltd (TCC) voted to join specialist regional aged care provider Apollo Care.
TCC is a community-managed not-for-profit providing 82 beds across the Haddington and Millrace nursing homes in Tenterfield. However, like many regional aged care providers, TCC experienced significant financial and operational pressures and could no longer remain a standalone aged care provider.
TCC Chair Greg Sauer said: “We’re pleased to be joining Apollo Care as we can now continue providing quality aged care to our residents and guarantee our employees will keep their jobs. Importantly, we can also complete construction of a new wing at Haddington to bring 28 new beds online for the wider community.”
“It’s a great fit,” said Mr Sauer. “We will adopt Apollo Care’s innovative care, operating and financial models to strengthen our services while ensuring we retain our strong local community identity.”
When Apollo Care becomes the Approved Provider on 28 November, TCC’s brand and community links will remain the same, along with employees’ conditions of employment, and all residents will remain living in their home under the same agreement.
Apollo Care’s CEO Stephen Becsi OAM says: “I’m delighted to welcome Tenterfield Care Centre Ltd into our alliance of nine aged care communities. We have an excellent track record of strengthening regional aged care communities across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and we understand the unique challenges of residential aged care in regional and rural settings like Tenterfield.”
Apollo Care will initially focus on attracting staff; implementing state-of-the-art systems and procedures across IT, culture and governance; and completing 28 new beds at Haddington. Maintaining strong ties to the Tenterfield regional community will also be a priority to enable residents to remain connected to their community.
“This is a win for the Tenterfield community and the continuation of a terrific 35-year success story,” says Mr Becsi. “Together, we’ll grow to meet the strong regional demand for excellent aged care.”
Tenterfield community members are invited to meet Mr Becsi and Apollo Care’s Chief Operating Officer, Barry Ashcroft, at 5:30pm on Tuesday 21 November at Haddington. The meeting is an opportunity to learn more about Apollo Care and the partnership with TCC. To attend the meeting, please contact TCC’s Acting Residential Services Manager, Jim Collins, by calling (02) 6736 0300. Attendees must arrive at least 15 minutes early to take a COVID rapid antigen test or bring a negative test with them.
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