The recruitment of at least 20 new staff has begun at Edgarley Assisted Living in Casterton ahead of partial occupancy of the aged care facility’s $16 million redevelopment this July.

Chief executive officer Susan Wray said COVID-19 had delayed the project, but the Board and management team was excited to now be only three months from moving the first residents into the state-of-the art building.

“To keep up with the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care, and to prepare for this first relocation of residents, we have moved quickly to recruit new Registered Nurses to work at Edgarley,” she said.

“We’re also searching for additional Personal Care Workers at the moment as we move closer to our projected employment of 85 workers upon completion of the redevelopment.

“COVID-19 certainly caused further delays in terms of accessing parts and equipment from overseas, but our contractors, local trades and suppliers have worked hard to minimise this impact.”

Mrs Wray said a number of new Registered Nurses had already started and Edgarley Assisted Living had worked hard to make their relocation to Casterton easier by finding other jobs in catering and environmental services for some of their partners.

“We welcome all our new team members, not only to Edgarley, but to the wider Casterton community,” she said.

“We have started doing fortnightly tours of the new building with small groups of staff so they can get a better feel for it and see the amazing views from the building.” – CEO, Susan Wray

The $16 million redevelopment was made possible by $14.5 million in funding from the Federal Government and support from local member Dan Tehan.

It will replace Edgarley’s ageing 43-bed facility with a brand new, state of the art, three storey aged care home boasting 60 single, ensuited, 22 square-metre bedrooms. Below this a community centre has been included for functions and corporate use.

Mrs Wray said the building now nearing completion was just half the project, with an almost identical building to join its western wall after phase one was completed.

She said once some residents were relocated to the new building in July, demolition of some of the existing buildings would clear the site for the next half of the project.

Personal Care Workers interested in joining the Edgarley team are invited to send their application to Mrs Wray via ceo@edgarley.com.au by Friday, April 30.