Newmarch House: Coronial findings into 19 Covid deaths
Family members of 19 residents who died during a Covid outbreak at an aged care home in Sydney’s west say they feel “vindicated” after the findings in a coronial inquest. LATEST.
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Families of residents who died at a western Sydney aged care facility during a Covid outbreak say they feel “vindicated” after findings into the coronial inquest were handed down.
Nineteen residents at Anglicare’s Newmarch House in Kingswood, near Penrith, died after contracting Covid between April 18 and March 20 in 2020.
The facility was placed into lockdown shortly after the outbreak.
Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee handed down his findings at Lidcombe Coroner’s Court on Friday, with dozens of family members in attendance.
There were emotional scenes in the public gallery as Deputy Coroner Lee read out the names of each resident who died, with a brief description as provided by their families.
The inquest had examined whether Anglicare senior executives had sufficiently led their staff during the outbreak.
Deputy Coroner Lee found staff did not have sufficient support or understanding of the “chain of command” during the outbreak, and that family members were not given proper communication regarding their loved ones or the unfolding situation at Newmarch House.
He said family members were given broad, generic information rather than specific updates for each resident. It was also often inaccurate or did not convey the seriousness of the situation.
It was also found that there were lapses in residents’ care, with medicines, nutrition and showers not being given regularly, if at all.
The inquest also examined a decision to treat Covid positive residents at the facility, as opposed to being taken to hospital, but Deputy Coroner Lee found that most residents who died could not have been saved.
He said all of the residents who died had other health conditions as well as Covid, and only three residents may have had a different outcome under different care.
However, Deputy Coroner Lee said six of the 19 residents who contracted Covid may have been able to avoid the virus.
Outside court, family members of resident Alice Bacon said they felt “vindication” for their mother after the findings were handed down.
“What we thought, what our family thought since mum passed, has today been proven correct,” Mary Watson said.
“The coroner has supported and said that mum’s outcome could have been very different, had she been cared for … and she wasn’t cared for and that was the reason we never spoke up through the whole episode. Finally today … we’re vindicated.”
Ms Watson said staff “did their best” during the outbreak, though they were not trained correctly.
“We were told many, many, many times that the only reason to transfer mum to hospital was if she needed an airway,” she said.
“So of course, that’s end of life. We were never given informed consent … she should have gone to hospital.”
A statement from Mark Fahey, whose mother Ann Fahey died in the outbreak, and family said they were “relieved” and took “great satisfaction in that the findings were true to what (they) strongly believed all along”.
“Today’s outcome provides a path for us and all of the families to move forward in our lives,” the statement read.
Susan O’Neill, whose father Raymond Jennings was the first to die during the outbreak, thanked Deputy Coroner Lee, his staff and everyone else involved in bringing a resolution.
“I also wanted to thank the staff, management of Newmarch prior to Covid for providing such a caring, respectful, loving place that looked after my father very well,” she said.
“I will always be grateful to them for what they did for our dad.”
Anglicare Sydney CEO Simon Miller said Anglicare had offered an apology at the beginning of the inquest, and reiterated it outside of court.
“Anglicare is sorry. We are sorry for the stress experienced and the loss of life during the Covid-19 outbreak at Newmarch House. For the residents, families and their loved ones.”
He said there had been many improvements in managing Covid since the outbreak across the aged care sector, and that Anglicare would take the time to consider the findings and build on more improvements.
Mr Miller also apologised to his staff.
“The staff did an amazing job given the situation they found themselves in,” he said.
When asked about residents not being taken to hospital during the outbreak, Mr Miller said that was a question for NSW Health instead of Anglicare.
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