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Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) on its proposed merger with RSL Care, which aims to bring two of Australia’s largest independent, not-for-profit aged care providers together into a single organisation capable of delivering more high quality services to more people every day.

RDNS is celebrating its 130th birthday in 2015. As such, it is Australia’s oldest provider of home nursing and health care services. Today, RDNS is a leader in providing quality clinical nursing and care services to people in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. In any given year, RDNS makes more than 2 million visits to over 40,000 people, mainly in their own homes.

Since the establishment of RSL Care’s first veterans’ hostel in 1938, RSL Care’s services have expanded to serve the broader community and, today, provides services to over 20,000 older Australians in metropolitan, rural and remote areas of Queensland and New South Wales.

The merger is complementary, with both organisations uniting from a genuine position of strength and compatibility.  It will bring together expertise and research capacity to build on their understanding of customer experiences and create innovative services that will better support customers and promote independence. The merger is expected to deliver significant benefits to customers, staff and the wider community and will be managed in a way that ensures total continuity of services for clients and residents of RDNS and RSL Care, plus stability for employees.

The Herbert Smith Freehills team was led by Corporate partner Brendan Earle, who was supported by special counsel Alice Macdougall, senior associate Alex Bean and solicitor Jill Davis.

Herbert Smith Freehills partner Brendan Earle said: “The merger of these trusted organisations shows strategic decisions are continuing to be made as not for profit healthcare service providers look to increase scale and efficiency to make the necessary investments to deliver consumer directed care in an increasingly competitive environment.”

Ashurst Australia advised RSL Care on the merger.