4 years ago
NEWMARCH HOUSE REPORT EXPOSES MORRISON GOVERNMENT’S AGED CARE CATASTROPHE
Julie Collins MP
The Newmarch House report confirms the Morrison Government has learnt nothing from tragic outbreaks of COVID-19 in New South Wales before the disease tragically tore through Victorian aged care homes.
It is heartbreaking and completely unforgiveable that history has repeated itself across multiple Victorian aged care homes.
Scott Morrison must take full responsibility for this failure.
Issue after issue identified in the Report as contributing to the tragic outbreak at Newmarch House was not fixed by the Morrison Government in the critical weeks before COVID-19 hit Victorian aged care homes.
“Throughout April 2020, COVID-19 cases among residents and staff continued to increase, fuelling a vicious cycle of staff and PPE shortages, suboptimal IPAC practice, infection source-control and the resulting increase in workload and COVID-19 transmission.”
It is heartbreaking and completely unforgiveable that history has repeated itself across multiple Victorian aged care homes.
Scott Morrison must take full responsibility for this failure.
Issue after issue identified in the Report as contributing to the tragic outbreak at Newmarch House was not fixed by the Morrison Government in the critical weeks before COVID-19 hit Victorian aged care homes.
“Throughout April 2020, COVID-19 cases among residents and staff continued to increase, fuelling a vicious cycle of staff and PPE shortages, suboptimal IPAC practice, infection source-control and the resulting increase in workload and COVID-19 transmission.”
- NEWMARCH HOUSE COVID-19 OUTBREAK INDEPENDENT REVIEW, FINAL REPORT
The Report notes the impact of ‘severely depleted’ staffing because of COVID-19 infections and quarantine and the significant challenge this posed to Newmarch House.
But despite this, Scott Morrison and his failed Minister for Aged Care have continued to say this very issue could not have been ‘anticipated’ in Victoria.
The report calls for an expansion of the surge capacities but just last week it was revealed even now the Morrison Government has only spent half of the funding it committed to addressing this problem.
The report also notes that infection prevention and control was a ‘significant concern’ but it is clear the Morrison Government did nothing to fix this issue before the Victorian outbreaks.
On the eve of outbreaks in Victorian aged care homes just 1 in 5 aged care workers had completed the Morrison Government’s training modules on how to use PPE.
The Newmarch House report notes serious ‘PPE shortages’ contributed to outbreaks but again the Morrison Government did nothing to fix this.
In the critical weeks before the Victorian outbreak the Morrison Government did no audit of nursing homes’ stock of PPE, despite more than 1,300 providers requesting access to the national stockpile.
Communication failures at Newmarch House is also identified as a major issue.
With report after report in Victoria of loved ones being kept in the dark and receiving inconsistent information about aged care homes with COVID-19 outbreaks it is clear the Morrison Government did not learn from the Newmarch House tragedy.
The Prime Minister and his Minister for Aged Care must be held to account for not better preparing Australia’s aged care system for COVID-19.
Australians who have tragically been let down by Scott Morrison and his Minister for Aged Care deserve answers.
The public needs to know that Mr Morrison has learnt from previous outbreaks and everything possible is now being done.