New aged-care watchdog planned among fallout from Oakden abuse scandal Senate inquiry

THE Turnbull Government will shut down and replace the national aged care auditor which failed the close the condemned Oakden facility.

• Inquiry: State Government and auditors failed to protect patients
• Exposed: The horrific secrets of Oakden nursing home
• Oakden whistleblower says he was shut-out by minister

THE Turnbull Government will shut down and replace the national aged-care auditor that failed to close the condemned Oakden facility.

Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said the decision was part of an overhaul to ensure the abuse and neglect that occurred in South Australia never happened again.

It follows the release this week of a scathing report which found older people were at risk of harm because the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency — the national auditor — was not willing to learn from its mistakes.

Federal Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt.

The concern has prompted a Senate committee to open a high-level national inquiry into aged care homes across the country because politicians fear the conditions found at Oakden are widespread.

Submissions for the inquiry, which was initially sparked by the South Australian scandal, are set to reopen and hearings will likely be held around the country.

Mr Wyatt commissioned an independent review of the nation’s aged-care audit system following the revelations last year about treatment at Oakden.

Headed by former ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell and Professor Ron Paterson, it recommended an independent Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to centralise accreditation, compliance and complaints handling.

Mr Wyatt said the Turnbull Government had accepted the broad direction of the Carnell-Paterson Review and was considering the remaining recommendations.

But he revealed the Government was already progressing the key recommendation to establish the commission.

Oakden whistleblowers — Stewart Johnston with Alma Krecu and her mum Rina Serpo (holding photo frame of her husband Ermanno “Eddie” Serpo, who was a resident at the Oakden mental health facility) outside the facility. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“This would include the functions currently undertaken by the Quality Agency,” he said.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of senior Australians in aged care is non-negotiable.

“What happened inside Oakden was shocking and I am doing everything in my power to ensure the situation is never repeated.”

Mr Wyatt said that on release of the Carnell-Paterson Review, he immediately moved to implement unannounced re-accreditation audits for all aged care homes.

He said the auditor also had commissioned an independent review of its processes, which led to tightening its quality systems — including giving more weight to a service’s history and risks.

“I am closely and constantly monitoring the quality agency’s work and receive regular reports on its compliance activity,” Mr Wyatt said.

The Senate inquiry report revealed the committee was concerned about the auditor’s “repeated refusal to take responsibility for what occurred at Oakden” despite renewing the facility’s accreditation even after repeated failures over a decade.

Committee chair Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said: “We cannot be confident that there are not other aged care facilities where abuse and neglect are occurring elsewhere in Australia.”