Ross Home unit eases pressure on hospital-level aged care

The opening of a 24-bed unit at Ross Home will ease increasing pressure on hospital-level aged-care beds in Dunedin, Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO) chief executive Jo O’Neill says.

The new Macara unit was officially opened at the 105-year-old North East Valley facility yesterday.

Ian Macara, nephew of Ross Home stalwart and former resident, Betty Macara, for whom the unit is named, cut the ribbon on the new wing.

Ms O’Neill said she was aware at times older people were using beds in hospital when they no longer needed to be there and the beds at the Macara unit were designed to be "accessible".

"We really want to ensure that there are standard level rooms for people," Ms O’Neill said.

"When you come into care, when you’re in a standard room ... you would not need to pay anything over and above what your Government subsidy would be.

"For example, if you go into hospital, the cost of hospital level care in a hospital is around about $1700 a night. Here, it’s less than $300.

Ross Home manager Margaret Pearce and special guest Ian Macara open the Macara unit at Ross Home...
Ross Home manager Margaret Pearce and special guest Ian Macara open the Macara unit at Ross Home yesterday. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
The opening of the Macara unit follows the closure of the 24-bed Lindsay unit at the same facility last year due to a lack of staff.

Ms O’Neill said the psychogeriatric unit had required a lot of well-supported and educated staff to provide what was the highest level of aged-care available.

When the borders were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, staff levels "diminished and diminished and diminished".

Pay parity issues for nurses then put further pressure on the system as nurses left for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand where they could earn more.

PSO had been in a position where the organisation knew they could not provide the care "those very vulnerable people actually needed".

However, the organisation assessed what was happening in the community and fully renovated the unit, and recruited nurses.

hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz

 

 

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