Aged care nurse linked to infamous Epping Gardens lockdown baby shower suspended

An aged care nurse linked to an Epping baby shower that took place during Melbourne’s lockdowns has been briefly suspended, telling a Tribunal the “mistake will haunt me for the rest of my life”.

An Epping Gardens Aged Care nurse who failed to stop a staff baby shower during Melbourne’s lockdown has been suspended. Picture: Ian Currie

An aged care nurse linked to the infamous work baby shower during Melbourne’s lockdown has been briefly suspended for failing to stop the event and report their colleagues.

Staff at Epping Gardens Aged Care Facility held the surprise event for their two colleagues despite strict Covid restrictions in July 2020, and shortly after a deadly outbreak began.

A resident is taken to transport out of Epping Gardens Aged Care home during a COVID-19 outbreak. Picture: NCA NewsWire

VCAT heard the father-to-be, a registered nurse, did not know about the surprise party until he arrived and only stayed for five minutes, also asking nurses from his unit to return to work.

But in a decision handed down this week, the tribunal ruled Denis Baniqued, who was one of the nurses in charge that day, should have stopped the party, told unauthorised visitors to leave and alerted management.

A tribunal ruled the nurse should have stopped the baby shower. Pictured is a medical worker responding to an outbreak at the facility in 2020. Picture: David Crosling

VCAT heard several attendees, including Baniqued, tested positive for Covid shortly after the gathering but a review into the deadly July outbreak – which killed 38 residents – was never able to identify if it was the source.

But the Tribunal said, even though it was never officially linked to the outbreak, it breached restrictions and nurses were “expected to observe the law”, “act when something goes wrong” and intervene “where a person’s safety is at risk”.

In a statement given the Tribunal, Baniqued apologised to residents’ families and said he failed in his duty as a nurse by not reporting the gathering.

“I have not once forgotten this mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life,” he said.

“The faces and the names of the people I have known and have cared for is still part of my memory and their families that have placed their trust in me that I feel that I have shattered.”

The Tribunal acknowledged his remorse and admission but found Baniqued’s behaviour still amounted to professional misconduct. On top of the one-month suspension, they mandated further training on incident reporting and leadership in nursing.