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7 September 2010
Important Announcement
Seaside Sanctuary Rest Home has been operated as a charitable trust for the past 28 years. The Trust’s one and only activity has been the operation of the Rest Home. Seaside Sanctuary has been under the direct care and management of Pat and David Orchard for the past 13 years. It has enjoyed an excellent reputation with residents, their families and other health professionals. It has also established a very good working relationship with the Auckland DHB and consistently achieved outstanding audit reviews completed for the Ministry of Health.
However, over the past 18 months the Trust has been reviewing the sustainability of the Rest Home in the face of the changing landscape of health needs, compliance requirements, increased operating costs, decreasing real income and, significantly the difficulty in recruiting suitable qualified professionals.
This review has involved:
Actively seeking to recruit a nurse manager to replace Pat who has stayed on since her “retirement” in November 2010, due to lack of a suitable replacement.
An in depth look at our facility and its ability to service the ongoing needs of an increasingly dependent elderly population.
Consultation with the Auckland DHB around health care needs, financial issues and recruitment. The DHB has been very helpful in that they commissioned and presented to us a comprehensive study of the future care needs of the elderly on the Island. They have also advertised and gone to some lengths to recruit a nurse manager, without success
As part of reviewing our own facilities we have looked at building a new expanded facility which would be better suited to provide for the future needs of the elderly. We have also consulted with other professionals involved in the health sector around creating a new facility. Because of the large capital investment, the staffing difficulties and the regulatory requirements this regrettably is not a realistic option.
The unfortunate reality is that faced with the changing landscape of health care, coupled with the inability to recruit a suitably qualified nurse manager, prepared to live on the Island, the Trust has reached the difficult, yet inescapable conclusion that the Rest Home is no longer tenable and will have to close.
As part of the closing down process we are in consultation with the DHB and Pat is talking to all the residents and their families to find the best possible outcome for each resident. It is expected that this will be achieved by the first week in November 2011.
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