Coronavirus: Aged-care watchdog failed to issue St Basil’s warning, inquiry told

The aged-care watchdog knew of a virus outbreak at St Basil’s but took four days to inform the Health Department.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission was aware there had been coronavirus infections at St Basil’s but failed to warn the Health Department, a Senate inquiry has heard. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The aged-care watchdog knew there had been a coronavirus outbreak at St Basil’s aged care facility nursing home in Melbourne but took four days to inform the Health Department, new evidence to a parliamentary inquiry shows.

At a Senate committee scrutinising the government’s response to the pandemic it was heard it took five days for federal health officials to become be made aware that a staff member at St Basil’s — nursing home – now at the centre of Victorian aged-care COVID-19 crisis — had become been infected.with coronavirus.

But Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson was later forced to amend evidence she gave to the inquiry, revealing that the independent regulator had first learned on July 10, not July 14, that a St Basil’s employee had tested positive on July 8.

Ms Anderson had previously told the inquiry she was made aware of the infection on the same date as the federal authorities.

In a letter, sent late on Friday, Ms Anderson told the committee that a St Basil’s representative flagged the infection during a phone survey intended to check the preparedness of Victorian facilities for potential outbreaks.

“I wish to inform the committee that I became aware that on Friday, 10 July 2020, St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Victoria (St Basil’s) responded to our assessment contact program (telephone survey),” she wrote. “During this telephone call, the St Basil’s representative provided information that one staff member of the service was diagnosed with COVID-19 on 8 July 2020 and the public health unit (PHU)— has been advised.”

In the Friday letter clarifying her evidence tesitmony testimony, Ms Anderson said the matter wasn’t escalated at the time because Victoria’s public health unit had been advised of the situation.

“The Commission did not escalate the matter externally at the time because the St Basil’s representative has confirmed in the interview that they had advised the PHU (Public Health Unit) of the outbreak.”

Coronavirus protocols stipulate that aged-care homes must notify the federal authorities, as well as the state public health unit, within 30 minutes of learning of an infection.

The outbreak saw the Federal government scrambling to find a new workforce to run the facility after St Basil’s entire workforce was stood down because of their close contact with infected patients.

Opposition aged care spokeswoman Julie Collins blasted described the communication issue revelation as catastrophic. “because it had led to a potentially deadly delay in responding to the outbreak. Time and time again the Morrison Government government has been warned about information sharing failures between its regulator and the Department of Health but has not acted,” she said.

“We are now seeing the tragic and avoidable consequences of not properly heeding these warnings.”

Ms Collins called on Senator Colbeck to reveal when he became aware the regulator did have knowledge of the outbreak of COVID-19 at St Basil’s but failed to pass it on.

Scott Morrison expressed concern about the breakdown in communications on Monday and said he and Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck were “undertaking further inquiries.”

“My understanding is that the survey had been conducted and those conducting the survey had formed the view that given the facility was aware of the processes that were required to advise the public health unit in Victoria, that they had indeed done that,” the Prime Minister said.

“It turns out that had not been done and so there had been a breakdown in that communication and that’s not good.”
Mr Morrison said he understood that processes surrounding the notification processes of authorities had since changed.

It comes after The Australian revealed that on the eve of the Victorian outbreak in early July just 1 in 5 aged care workers had completed the government’s training module on how to use PPE.