New owners take over at Roshana Lerwin Aged Care
Roshana Care CEO Rosh Jalagge has a message for the community following the settlement of the nursing home’s sale by the Murray Bridge council.
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Taking over the Lerwin nursing home is only step one in a Western Australian company’s plan to provide a wider range of health services in Murray Bridge, its CEO says.
The aged care facility was officially handed over to its new owners, the Roshana Care Group, with a tree-planting ceremony and morning tea on Wednesday.
It will be known from now on as Roshana Lerwin Aged Care.
CEO Rosh Jalagge acknowledged there had been some unease about his company’s takeover, following a council decision to sell the facility late last year.
But Roshana Care’s plan was not to cut jobs or charge residents more, he suggested.
The company would actually introduce more clinical care and lifestyle services, with the aim of attracting extra subsidies from the federal government.
“We are a profitable organisation, but I am not after a profit – I am after a service,” Dr Jalagge said.
“Service is our number-one priority.”
Giving Lerwin residents access to higher levels of care would hopefully reduce the demands placed on the neighbouring hospital and other local health services, Dr Jalagge suggested.
The older parts of Lerwin would also get a facelift later this year, he said, to match the new wing which opened in 2020.
But that was just the start.
In time, beyond Lerwin, he hoped his company would be able to establish:
- a mental health service
- a GP clinic
- National Disability Insurance Scheme services
- home care services
“That is our model,” Dr Jalagge said.
“When we go into a state or regional town, we always provide all the services Roshana provide.
“That will benefit not only us; mainly we are looking for the community, and giving priority to local suppliers and skills.”
All of those things would take time, likely years, but that would be the aim, Dr Jalagge said.
“We are not small-time,” he said.
“We’ve come here for a long-term relationship which we want to build with residents, families and the community.”
How much money did the council make, in the end?
The sale is expected to net about $3 million for the Murray Bridge council and, ultimately, the community.
Although the facility’s sale price was just over $11 million, the council was required to cover a range of costs as part of the deal, including Roshana Care’s liability for residents’ refundable accommodation deposits and employees’ entitlements.
The proceeds of the sale will not disappear into the council’s general revenue pool, though.
The council will launch a public consultation process, asking ratepayers how they’d like to spend the money, in the coming months.
Funding will be set aside in the council’s 2026-27 budget for whatever project is decided upon.
- Read more: Lerwin Nursing Home sold to private operator
- Read more: Lerwin sale process went on in secret for two years, documents reveal
