Ex-general manager of Epping Gardens aged care says PPE training not mandatory for staff

Almost a dozen staff at Epping Gardens – home to one of Australia’s deadliest aged care Covid outbreaks – had no PPE training, a court has heard.

The general manager of an aged care home charged over a Covid outbreak that claimed more than 30 lives says he “can’t remember” whether PPE training was mandatory.

Alistair Cooray took to the stand at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday where Epping Gardens Heritage Care is contesting allegations it failed to ensure a safe workplace during a major Covid outbreak in 2020.

Mr Cooray said the facility took pride in being “clean and hygienic” and that health guidelines were well understood within the facility.

He said from April 2020 onwards, staff took visitor restrictions “seriously” and “followed the rules”.

Alistair Cooray, the former general manager at Epping Gardens Aged Care, says training was likely not mandatory. Photo: Paul Jeffers

Despite the deaths, Mr Cooray says staff followed the rules. Picture: David Crosling

“(It was) very important,” he said.

By July 2020, when the outbreak occurred, the facility also had “every conceivable piece of equipment” required, Mr Cooray said.

But he admitted all staff were not required to undertake personal protective equipment training.

“I didn’t roll this out … anything made mandatory I would have been across,” he said.

Mr Cooray said one-on-one training with a registered nurse was provided to those “actively working on shift”, meaning casual staff may have missed out.

Heritage Care is facing a fine of up to almost $4.5 million after WorkSafe Victoria charged the aged care provider with three occupational health and safety offences, including failure to ensure a safe workplace.

On the first day of the four-day hearing, WorkSafe prosecutor Andrew Palmer KC said only a small number of employees had completed the relevant training, and 11 had completed no training at all.

Mr Palmer said just seven staff members had undertaken infection control training, 10 had completed on-site PPE training and none had finished Zoom PPE training.

More than 30 residents died during the outbreak at Epping Gardens. Photo: Paul Jeffers

He said professor Ramon Shaban, the clinical chair of Infection Prevention and Disease Control at the University of Sydney, had provided evidence that all staff should have received training.

The outbreak, considered one of the most deadly within the state’s aged care homes, led to the infection of 89 residents – 34 of whom died – and 65 staff.

The loved ones of three of the residents who died appeared in court.

The hearing continues on Tuesday.