St Basil’s inquiry: Aspen Medical replacement staff ‘literally graduates’

A contractor paid millions to provide staff to an aged care home where 50 people died sent inexperienced workers, inquest told.

St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner, Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

A private contractor awarded millions by the federal government to provide surge staff to St Basil’s Home for the Aged in north Melbourne sent workers who were “literally graduates”, with an inquest hearing that the majority had no experience in aged care.

The coronial inquiry into the deaths of 50 residents on Wednesday heard government agencies were unable to match the number of regular staff at the Fawkner facility who were stood down on July 22 in 2020 in a bid to stop the spiralling Covid-19 outbreak.

In an email to Aspen Medical the day before the federal government took over the facility, then commonwealth Health Department aged-care Covid implementation branch director Neil Callagher blasted Aspen Medical for their “completely inadequate” replacement staff.

Mr Callagher told Victoria’s Coroners Court he was under the impression Aspen would be providing experienced aged-care workers and the email was a “very succinct response, given what I was thinking”.

When counsel assisting, Peter Rozen QC, asked Mr Callagher whether it was correct that a lot of the surge staff turned out to be “literally graduates” and the majority had no experience in aged care, he said “I understand that now”.

The decision to stand down the workforce at St Basil’s because of exposure to Covid-19 was made by Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton on July 21 following several meetings between state and federal officials, the aged-care regulator and doctors familiar with the Fawkner facility.

The inquest heard Professor Sutton did not attend the meetings but Mr Callagher said he believed he was made aware of concerns raised, including by doctors against furloughing staff.

“I fail to understand how a ­decision-maker in a public service capacity could not have put more weight on opinions when making decisions,” he said.

Mr Callagher said when it became apparent Aspen couldn’t provide adequate staff the evening before the federal government took over St Basil’s, he did not alert the Victorian public health unit or try to alter the isolation order.

“I didn’t think my view would carry any weight,” he said.

The inquest heard many workers never showed up or refused to take the deployment when learning the job was at the site of a Covid-19 outbreak, and planning was hampered by a lack of co-operation from St Basil’s management, who opposed the furloughing of regular staff.

Mr Callagher said he had tried to have some of the residents moved to hospital before the facility’s usual staff were stood down, given the difficulties of finding replacement staff and the importance of elderly residents knowing their carers.

He said he was concerned that standing down all staff would expose the residents to substandard levels of care, something seen earlier at Estia Health in the suburb of Heidelberg just before the St Basil’s outbreak.

When Mr Rozen asked if he understood the Victorian government had acted as a “roadblock” to residents being trans­ferred, he said “Yes, that’s correct”.

The inquest continues.

An inquest is examining the deaths of 50 residents of St Basil’s during the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak. Picture: Getty Images