KATE NEWTON
Presbyterian Support has found a buyer for its six East Coast rest homes and will hand over control in two weeks. Blenheim-based company Qualcare will be the new owners of Atawhai in Taradale, Duart in Havelock North, Eversley in Hastings, Woburn in Waipukurau, Rahiri in Dannevirke and Dunblane in
Gisborne from February 10.
Qualcare is a privately owned New Zealand company that has built up a chain of retirement villages during the past 20 years.
Qualcare CEO Greg Tomlinson said there would be minimal changes at the residential facilities and staff did not need to worry about lay-offs.
Mr Tomlinson said he planned to address how the facilities were structured and possibly expand the rest homes.
Negotiations between Presbyterian Support and Qualcare, which already owns 16 New Zealand rest homes, began before Christmas.
The homes went on the market in June last year after Presbyterian Support decided to pull out of residential care due to long term underfunding in the sector.
Presbyterian Support East Coast CEO Shaun Robinson was "absolutely pleased" with the imminent sale and had no concerns over Qualcare as a suitable buyer.
"The board selected Qualcare for a variety of reasons. The organisation has bought other Presbyterian Support operations throughout the country so we were able to find out a lot about their quality of care," Mr Robinson said.
"Up to five years after buying their homes residents are still satisfied with the care. They are a very good provider."
"We are not at the final stage but things are going very well," he said.
Presbyterian Support East Coast will continue to cater for the aging population and has plans to start a new programme called Community First which will assist people who would usually go into care but have chosen to stay in their home. Qualcare is owned by Mr Tomlinson and Ironbridge Capital, an Australasian private equity fund manager.
Mr Tomlinson is the majority shareholder of Elrond, which in 2004 bought seven retirement village sites in the upper North Island from Presbyterian Support Northern.
Mr Tomlinson was a Blenheim engineer who started building townhouses for the elderly before he built up Qualcare.
The sale is not unconditional until February 10.
