Oakden families accept compensation offers from SA Government
FOURTEEN relatives of residents mistreated at the Oakden nursing home have accepted compensation offers from the State Government.
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FOURTEEN relatives of residents mistreated at the Oakden nursing home have accepted compensation offers from the State Government, The Advertiser can reveal.
A Government spokesman confirmed 14 claims had been “expedited and settled in principle, with final documents currently being completed in order for payments to be made”.
It comes just a month after Attorney-General Vickie Chapman assured families every step was being taken to “expedite” claims, after The Advertiser revealed their frustrations with the process.
A further claim, which the State Government said was only made recently, is still being processed.
The settlement is understood to have been reached late last week, after the State Government’s insurance provider made a second offer to Oakden families.
It is understood each payout is in excess of $100,000, but the State Government said it was unable to disclose information about the compensation payments “at this point in time”. A State Government spokesman said it planned to reveal more details “in the near future”.
Compensation applicants said they were unable to comment on the process, due to a temporary confidentiality requirement.
The Advertiser revealed last month that families of former Oakden residents were furious the compensation process had dragged on for months after the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s report into the facility was released.
All residents were moved out of the disgraced facility by September last year.
Multiple families said they had been assured the compensation process would be “quick and easy” by Premier Steven Marshall and his predecessor Jay Weatherill.
“He (Mr Marshall) said it would take weeks, not months. Well it’s been months and we’re seemingly no closer. It’s a blight on all levels of government,” Stewart Johnston told The Advertiser in June.
Mr Johnston, whose mother Helen was allegedly assaulted at the facility, said last month that the families did not want to be seen as “money hungry”, but the compensation would allow families to ”honour the memory” of their loved ones.
“It just allows us to draw the line under this and we can move on very quickly because we’ve all had enough,” Mr Johnston said,
Ms Chapman said last month that she had made it “very clear” to departmental staff that she wanted compensation claims “expedited” once they had been lodged, and was hopeful claims could be resolved within weeks.