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Judy Robbins just wants a yes or no answer, is Braidwood losing Narbethong?
Concept plans for the Braidwood Hospital released on Tuesday have done little to reassure her, as staff accommodation lies over the space where Narbethong currently sits.
Despite the additional aged care beds provided for in the new facility, Ms Robbins sees the facility as a vital service to Braidwood’s elderly.
It acts as a stepping stone between institutional care and home life, allowing the able, but fragile to live in a comfortable, homelike environment, says Ms Robbins.
“It’s sort of that step between leaving home, but not being in complete residential care, so they are actually independently living,” Ms Robbins said.
If Mum has to go back into aged care again, her greatest fear is she’ll have to go somewhere where she knows nobody.
- Judy Robbins
“Where Narbethong should be, there’s actually living quarters, the residential quarters for four residential staff.”
“To me that seems to indicate that that seems to lose Narbethong.”
Her mother having lived in and out of Narbethong for several years, Ms Robbins sees it as a vitally important service to the community.
“I just think it’s such a great asset that we have,” Ms Robbins said.
“It’s just that one step away from the family home.”
“If Mum has to go back into aged care again, her greatest fear is she’ll have to go somewhere where she knows nobody.”
Many members of the community also feel that plans are unclear, that there has been a lack of consultation, and that their questions have not been properly answered.
Gill Burke, who attended Tuesday’s meeting says she felt the approach to communication was poor.
“All our real concerns weren’t addressed,” Ms Burke said.
“It was not a good way to convey community wide information.”
Ms Burke is concerned that even with a new facility, the hospital will struggle to find local staff.
A spokesperson from Southern NSW Local Health District said residents of the aged care facilities (both low and high care), will remain in place until the new Braidwood MPS facility is built, at which point, they will all be relocated to the new building.
“The current Emergency Department (ED) will remain fully operational until the new facility is built. At an appropriate point in time, the old ED will be closed and the new opened. The advantage of the current design is that all services will remain fully operational while the new facility is being built,” said the spokesperson.