Residents at Christadelphian Aged Care’s nursing homes are upset by the organisation’s decision to lay off more than 100 laundry and kitchen staff, according to reports in the media.
But a spokesperson from the company told HelloCare the staff cuts are necessary in order to improve the food the company provides residents across its seven sites in Queensland and New South Wales.
According to ABC reports, Margaret David, a resident at a Christadelphian nursing home in Sydney, is lobbying residents to speak out against the changes.
Ms Davis worked in aged care for 30 years before becoming a resident herself, and said the changes have been made without consultation. She is calling for more transparency between aged care providers and residents.
Another resident of a Christadelphian aged care home in Sydney told the ABC she was upset by the decision to cut staff.
She said the staff often go above an beyond what is required of them. She said staff often dress in fancy dress on special occasions, and many have become like family.
“I hate the thought of them going,” she said.
A spokesperson for the company told HelloCare, “The reality is we are trying to improve the food services we are providing. We are not specialists in food.”
He said the staff cuts were “unfortunate”, but he hopes Christadelphian will be able redeploy a number of staff into new roles within the company.
The spokesperson said the measures are not designed to lower the company’s operating costs, and that in fact there are significant costs associated with the redundancies.
He said the company it will appoint to provide food, specialises in food preparation, and is already providing food for a number of other nursing homes and also for hospitals.
