Coronavirus NSW: Newmarch House families demand access as death toll rises

Four more elderly residents with COVID-19 died inside the Newmarch House nursing home in a devastating 21-hour period. As 11 families grieve on the outside, others despair over loved ones clinging to life alone in lockdown. John Brocklehurst’s mother Pat (pictured) died at the home last Friday.

• Medical chief firm on aged care visits despite industry calls
• Family complaints trigger ban on aged care lockdowns

Four more elderly residents with COVID-19 died inside the Newmarch House nursing home in a devastating 21-hour period, taking the death toll there to 11.

The devastating news was broken to families on Tuesday before Anglicare announced four residents “have passed away since 8pm (Monday) night”.

John Brocklehurst and his mother Pat who died of the coronavirus at the troubled Newmarch House nursing home last Friday. Picture: Supplied

Another staff member also tested positive, taking the overall virus count to 54 – 20 staff and 34 residents – at the care home near Penrith.

As the virus continued its horrifying march through the facility, families on the outside grieved for their dead relatives or despaired for those clinging to life alone and in lockdown.

John Brocklehurst’s mother Pat died at the home last Friday. He said he only found out she was dying of coronavirus when he pressed staff for information.

“The management let me down, I wasn’t told Mum had the virus, I had to ring and ask,” Mr Brocklehurst wrote on social media.

He was grateful a nurse let him in to see his mother the day before she died.

“I was told by the RN that he would probably be in trouble as he arranged it knowing how close she was to passing,” he wrote.

Asked about Mr Brocklehurst’s complaint, a spokesman for Anglicare said “we cannot quote medical records”.

MORE NEWS

DNA test could prove if COVID-19 treatments work

‘NRL’s warning shot’: heavyweight’s shutdown threat

Carrie Bickmore looks for tenants at Byron Bay Airbnb

Flowers left outside the Anglicare Newmarch House in Western Sydney on Sunday as staff monitor cars entering and exiting the home. Picture: AAP

Angry relatives, now in their second week of daily protests at the nursing home gates, were horrified to hear four more had died so quickly. They criticised Anglicare for a lack of communication.

Mary Watson, whose 93-year-old mum Alice Bacon has coronavirus inside the home, said: “People are dropping like flies and we don’t know anything. I don’t want the last time I see my mum to be when she’s taking her last breaths.”

Sisters (left) Joyce Parker, 59, and Mary Watson, 62, who's mother Alice Bacon, 93, lives in the facility.

Ms Watson said her elderly mother was “distraught” after learning two of her close friends inside the aged care facility had died from COVID-19, and criticised Anglicare’s management of the situation.

“She feels trapped inside, two of her friends have died and now she’s worried that’s it for her,” Ms Watson said.

“I haven’t got enough negative words to say … Newmarch’s response is as poor as can be, three weeks on from this and there’s still huge bumps in the road. Mum got another frozen cheese sandwich today, it’s just been terrible.”

A security guard speaks with people arriving by car at the Anglicare Newmarch House in Western Sydney on Sunday. Picture: AAP

Ken Payne said he had not had an update on his mother Yvonne for two days.

“My wife and I didn’t hear anything for two days, it’s shocking,” Mr Payne said.

“A lot can happen in two days, and it must be frightening for (Yvonne) to only see people with masks day in day out.”

“We just want to … see her through the window to check she’s okay,” he said.

Mary Watson, Matthew Fowler, Ken Payne, Brett Doble, Louise Payne, and Joyce Parker, all have mothers or fathers living in the facility.

Relative Anthony Bowe called the news of four deaths “shattering” and criticised Anglicare for a further lack of communication.

“You just feel blindsided,” Mr Bowe said.

“It just makes you more anxious, if that’s even possible, and with no regular contact, it just makes you nervous 24 hours a day. There’s no sense of urgency about the whole thing.”

Anthony Bowe, 51, has stood outside the Caddens-based facility “every night” for the past two weeks after his 76-year-old mum Patricia Shea tested positive for COVID-19.

The home reported on Monday it was back to a “full complement of staff” with the arrival of 22 emergency backfill workers but relatives of residents in lockdown still hold grave fears.

The Daily Telegraph understands 22 staff from private firm Aspen Medical arrived for work at Newmarch on Monday as the federal government and Anglicare scrambled to backfill 55 regular staff members off sick or in isolation.

In an online seminar with relatives and health officials last week, which has been seen by The Telegraph, Anglicare chief executive Grant Millard explained many workers simply refused to enter the home.

“They’re just scared and we can understand that at a human level,” Mr Millard said.