Earle Haven boss addresses parliamentary inquiry into home

The owner of a Gold Coast aged care facility where more than half the high-care residents were malnourished before it suddenly closed has told an inquiry he is “fed up” and is getting out of aged care, before making a stunning admission about his time in charge.

UPDATE: The boss of a Gold Coast aged care facility where more than half the high-care residents were malnourished before it closed is “fed up” and says he is getting out of aged care.

Arthur Miller took issue during questioning on Friday at a Queensland parliamentary hearing into the July 11 closure of his Earle Haven high-care facility, effectively leaving 69 elderly residents homeless.

“I will not run aged care anymore,” Mr Miller said under questioning that he said he didn’t “feel very happy” about.

Mr Miller had been asked why he hadn’t read a report emailed to him about the facility when he went overseas amid concerns about care at the home. He accused public servants who audited the home of being anti-Semitic against him.

Arthur Miller, the owner of Gold Coast aged care facility Earle Haven. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

Earle Haven went into administration in July after a payment dispute came to a head between owner People Care and HelpStreet.

The hearing has been told it took more than a decade of repeated regulatory failures for Mr Miller to realise he wasn’t up to the task of running the high needs facility.

Mr Miller was read reports on the facility’s failures in 2007, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The hearing was told that in the lead up to the closure, 63 per cent of the high-care residents were malnourished and the rest were at risk of malnutrition.

When it was put to him that he was not up to the task of running the high-care section at Earle Haven, he said: “that’s correct”.

Asked why it took so long to find a subcontractor to run it, Mr Miller said he had not been able to find the right provider.

“All that time I was planning to do that, but I didn’t because I couldn’t find a suitable provider,” Mr Miller said.

It wasn’t until April 2018 that HelpStreet came on board.

The hearing was told of concerns from the federal regulator about drinks being placed out of reach of thirsty patients.

The regulator said that staff did not manage continence properly or have adequate behaviour management skills.

Mr Miller had to be kept on-topic by the counsel assisting the inquiry, Ruth O’Gorman, as he spoke of people in the home “lovinghim”.

Dozens of medical staff were involved in the evacuation of Earle Haven after its sudden shutdown in July.

He also mentioned disputes with public servants and “disgraceful” news reports on the closure of the high-care units within the larger Earle Haven retirement home.

He told the inquiry his wife, a highly qualified nurse, had been a director at the aged care facility from 2001.

But in 2007 she became very sick and stopped working. She died in 2012. Mr Miller has been the sole director since.

He is giving evidence to the inquiry for the first time after twice postponing for health reasons.

More than a hundred medical staff, including paramedics, were called in to help when the 69 high-care residents were effectively left without a home. The inquiry wrapped up on Friday with a report due in October.

EARLIER: ‘THE RESIDENTS LOVE ME’

IT took more than a decade of repeated regulatory failures for the boss of a Gold Coast aged care facility to realise he wasn’t up to task of running the high needs facility.

Earle Haven boss Arthur Miller is giving evidence to a Queensland parliamentary inquiry into the July 11 closure that forced the State Government to evacuate 69 high needs residents.

On Friday, Mr Miller was read reports of the high-care unit’s failures in 2007, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

When it was put to him that he was not up to task of running the high-care section at Earle Haven, he said: “that’s correct”.

Earle Haven owner Arthur Miller answers questions at the parliamentary inquiry into the July closure of parts of the facility. Picture: Dan Peled/AAP

Asked why it took so long to find a subcontractor to run it instead, Mr Miller said he had not been able to find the right provider.

“All that time I was planning to do that, but I didn’t because I couldn’t find a suitable provider,” Mr Miller said.

It wasn’t until April 2018 that HelpStreet came on board to manage the residential facilities.

The hearing was told of concerns from the federal regulator about drinks being placed out of reach of thirsty patients.

The regulator said that staff did not manage continence properly or have adequate behaviour management skills.

Mr Miller had to be kept on-topic by the counsel assisting the inquiry, Ruth O’Gorman, as he spoke of people in the home “loving him”.

Supplied images from inside Earle Haven Retirement Village last night after residents were moved from the facility.

He also mentioned disputes with public servants and “disgraceful” news reports on the closure of the high-care units within the larger Earle Haven retirement home.

He told the inquiry his wife, a highly qualified nurse, had been a director at the aged care facility from 2001.

But in 2007 she became very sick and stopped working. She died in 2012. Mr Miller has remained the sole director since.

Mr Miller is giving evidence to the inquiry for the first time after twice postponing for health reasons.

Earle Haven went into administration in July after payment dispute came to a head between owner People Care and HelpStreet.

More than a hundred medical staff including paramedics were called in to help when the 69 high-care residents were effectively left without a home.

Witnesses have spoken of chaotic scenes as rooms were stripped. They have also told of verbal confrontations during the exodus, one of which included an elderly man whose urinal bag was dragging along the floor.

Committee chair Aaron Harper says Mr Miller needs to give his side of the story for the residents and their families, staff and others who were affected by events at Earle Haven.

“We need to hear from Mr Miller the details of how and why this happened,” Mr Harper said.

Originally published as Earle Haven boss addresses parliamentary inquiry into home