St Basil’s aged care home in Randwick found compliant in all areas in 2024 audit, following 2021 sanctions

An eastern suburbs aged care home has undergone a drastic turnaround, achieving a perfect audit just three years after Commonwealth funding was pulled when it failed in almost every aspect.

A Sydney aged care home, plagued by extensive failures that previously resulted in Commonwealth funding being pulled, has since overhauled its standards of care in a dramatic turnaround.

Just three years ago, the St Basil's aged care home in Randwick was besieged by problems, with an Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission inspection finding it had breached 35 of the 42 key quality standards, placing residents at “immediate and severe risk of harm’’.

As reported in 2021, St Basil’s was hit with sanctions that included Commonwealth subsidies for new care recipients being pulled for six months.

The audit also found the home to be non-compliant in terms of consumer dignity and choice, support for daily living, and systems for handling feedback and complaints.

The centre’s food was also slammed as being “tasteless” with inspectors observing “puree with large amounts of gravy” being served as lunch.

As part of the compliance action, the facility was ordered to hire an external adviser and conduct staff training to lift its standards after the litany of failures was revealed.

St Basil’s longest-term resident, Father Milton Chryssavgis, shows off his art therapy paintings. Picture: Madeleine Damo

It was just one of many facilities around the country where stories of systemic failures horrified Australians and revealed the dire state of the industry caring for our most vulnerable.

Now, the centre has ushered in a new era, working to tackle the challenges brought to light by the damning findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

An example of the food served to residents these days. Picture: St Basil’s

Another dish now served at the aged care home. Picture: St Basil’s

Since 2021, the centre has been deemed compliant twice in a row, with the most recent audit from May 2024 finding no areas in need of improvement.

The woman at the heart of the centre’s reform, Diana Horvatovic, started as St Basil’s chief executive in 2019, after 18 years working as a regulator.

Ms Horvatovic said the problems she observed were not unique to St Basils, and were fundamentally caused by “a clear misunderstanding of the roles, responsibilities and legislative obligations of aged care providers”.

“Every elderly person has co-morbidities,” she said.r

“You’ve got all these different clinical and psychological needs, yet simple, basic things like the administration of medication, we didn't have the foundations for.

St Basil's chief executive Diana Horvatovic. Picture: St Basil’s

“Prior to the royal commission, they didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the Aged Care Act and the obligations.

“It went from a very deregulated environment to a very regulated one.”

The major changes implemented included the hiring of additional care managers and quality managers, conducting rigorous reviews, introducing proper disciplinary processes and a twice-yearly audit.

Importantly for staff, pay rates and the enterprise agreement were updated.

“We needed to understand and listen to what our staff needed and wanted to show their work is important and valued,” Ms Horvatovic said.

“Aged care is not an easy gig, you need heart.”

A key change, of which Ms Horvatovic is most proud, is the transformation in residents’ food, which she said was “one of the best things that's happened”.

“Our food was previously outsourced, but we recently switched to in-house catering,” she said

“When we went live with the new menu, our residents thought it was a one-off

“They couldn’t believe it was every day. They were absolutely stoked.”

Resident Maria Caruana likens living at St Basil's to staying in a hotel. Picture: Madeleine Damo

St Basil’s longest-term resident, Father Milton Chryssavgis, 93, arrived there in 2017.

He said he had gone on “quite a journey” with the centre.

“I think I am the oldest living one here, but in any case I can say it’s improved very much it’s gone from zenith to nadir,” he said.

“It was very low standards, especially at the beginning the standards,

“(The) main improvement was the food, along with the organisation of activities.

“It’s pleasant living and we’re very pleased.”

Fellow resident Maria Caruana, who arrived at the centre after the changes were implemented, described the care she received now as “beautiful”.

“We feel like we are at home,” she said.

“It feels exactly like a family, but it is like staying in a hotel.”