New Commitment to Aged Care and Jobs for Invercargill

New Commitment to Aged Care and Jobs for Invercargill

Bupa Care Services have purchased land at the Ascot Park Racecourse with the intention of bringing much needed aged care facilities to Invercargill and generating over 60 new jobs.

The proposed $23m development will include a Retirement Village consisting of villas and community centre plus neighbouring care home facilities of 60 hospital beds with the option to later extend if required. Located on the Northern side of the racecourse land the development will make the most of existing landscape and promises to provide residents with pleasant home like surroundings including gardens and park like areas.

The development will provide work opportunities for local sub contractors via a tender process where Bupa will ideally like to use local trades people however this will be dependant on competitive pricing. The opening of the care home and retirement village will create over 60 jobs for Invercargill. Jobs will range from caregivers of varying levels, registered nurses through to kitchen and building maintenance staff all of which Bupa hope to fill from the local employment pool.

Bupa currently have an interest in Invercargill with their personal medical alarm business, providing assistance for older people living in their own home. It was loyal southlander and Bupa representative from the alarms business Lindsay Abbott, who was instrumental in identifying the opportunity for Bupa.

“Bupa are committed to aged care in New Zealand and are delighted at the opportunity to bring care options to Invercargill” said Dwayne Crombie, CEO Bupa Care Services. “We currently deliver care and support to our medical alarms customers in the area and look forward to expanding on this with care homes and retirement villages”.

An application for resource consent will be made in late November followed by building consent in early 2012. Retirement village villas will be developed in stages with the first being completed late 2012 through to early 2013. At the same time the care home hospital will be developed providing hospital level aged care facilities.

Bupa Care Services New Zealand is part of the Bupa Group, a leading international healthcare company. Established in New Zealand in 1991, Bupa has three aged care businesses; 45 rest homes and hospitals; 15 retirement villages and personal medical alarms, looking after more than 17,000 New Zealanders.

Bupa has no shareholders therefore it reinvests its money to provide better healthcare for its customers.

ENDS

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