It is pleasing to see the leadership provided by Byron Shire Council in its efforts to ensure that Feros Care Village in Byron Bay (FVBB), one of the Shire’s most highly valued community assets, continues to keep its doors open and provide residential aged care for those among us in need of it.
I note that Council has included an item on the agenda for its next meeting that addresses the management of the Crown Land site on which FVBB is located with a view to obtaining a solution to maintaining its purpose as a residential aged care facility.
The current Crown Land manager and provider of the facility, the Feros Care Ltd board of directors, want to close the facility. They do not seem to be clear as to what they want to do with the site, they first said it is to be an ‘intergenerational complex’, they are now saying they are going to provide ‘senior housing’. It seems anything but doing the hard yards that will be required to manage a residential aged care facility within the most recent aged care requirements. The sorts of developments they propose are concepts that emphasise profit rather than care and are usually provided by the private sector. They are not normally the sort of enterprise that a charity like Feros Care Ltd would be involved in.
The residents of the facility (who according to the comments of a recent aged care audit, Feros have failed to treat with dignity and respect), their families, a large number of Feros Care members and a large part of the Byron community have voiced their opposition to the closure and the Feros Care board and management response to the situation.
Hopefully the action initiated by Council and the attention of the Lands and Property Minister will lead to a solution that will save FVBB as the facility serving the Byron community that was intended by George Feros and the founding members of Feros Care Ltd.
I am aware that a reputable alternative provider has come forward and plans to work with a community organisation to keep FVBB going. I hope they get a chance to put in a tender for the site.
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