The owner of two retirement homes in Cromwell is looking to make changes, with jobs on the line, but says residents are at the centre of any decision.

Nothing has been decided upon and nor have a specific number of jobs been targeted.

Consultation on the changes will continue until early next month.

Christchurch-based Promisia Healthcare Ltd bought the Golden View and Ripponburn villages in Cromwell in April this year for a combined total of $33 million.

Promisia Healthcare Ltd said in April, when announcing the purchase from private operators, Golden View comprised a 79-bed care facility that included a specialist dementia unit and 19 serviced apartments and 102 independent living units with a communal facilities building and amenities area.

Construction of the Golden View village was completed in 2021 and the care facility in 2022.

Ripponburn was older with its original buildings constructed in the 1930s. It comprised 16 independent living villas and a 46-bed care facility.

There were about 140 staff employed across the two facilities.

Promisia Healthcare Ltd executive director Craig Percy said there was potential to do things differently in the business.

He said the company had a centralised support office in Christchurch which could do a lot of the management and administration work which was currently being done in Cromwell.

The kitchen at Ripponburn was old and out of date so one proposal could be to shut the kitchen and enlarge the kitchen at Golden View to cook meals for all residents in the two homes.

“Historically they have been two different businesses, with two rest-homes and two care facilities across them,” he said.

“They have operating quite differently with different shareholders.

“But with the level of experience we can bring, we can gain efficiencies across the two sites.”

He said residents would be at the centre of any decisions and would not be affected by the process.

There would not be any reduction in bed numbers and Ripponburn had land which could be used for expansion.

He could not outline what this expansion would look like but said there was huge demand for retirement services throughout Central Otago and the company had waiting lists for its homes.

He said the staff across both sites were very dedicated and loyal to the businesses and residents.

Meetings had taken place with staff at the two sites over the past week and consultation would continue through to November 8 when feedback from staff was due.

A decision would then be made on November 15.

Promisia Healthcare Ltd is listed on the New Zealand stock exchange and has four other rest-homes in its portfolio — two in Feilding, one in Dannevirke and one in Christchurch.

 

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