Coronavirus: Scott Morrison backs nursing homes as death toll surges to 49

Officials are monitoring 13 nursing homes in Victoria but Scott Morrison says the system is up to the task as AUSMAT teams move in.

A body is removed from the Epping Gardens aged-care home in Melbourne, where 34 residents have been evacuated to hospital. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Despite more than 450 Victorian nursing home residents testing positive for COVID-19 and the aged-care death toll increasing by seven to 49 — with many more expected — Scott Morrison said residential aged-care operators were doing a good job.

The Prime Minister said just 13 nursing homes out of more than 430 across Melbourne required close monitoring, as clinical experts, including five AUS­MAT teams, were being deployed to assist at hotspots.

Both Mr Morrison and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews talked down suggestions their governments were at odds about the response to the nursing home situation, a day after Mr Andrews said there were some federally ­administered nursing homes that he wouldn’t put his mum in.

After returning to Canberra to oversee the response to the coronavirus outbreak that is affecting 77 aged-care centres in Victoria, the Prime Minister said the situation had been “distressing” for those with loved ones in COVID-affected nursing homes.

“There are over 430 facilities in Melbourne (and) we have seen some very distressing and concerning situations arise in a handful of those facilities, such as St Basil’s,” Mr Morrison said on Wednesday.

“There are 13 we are keeping a very close watch on,” he said.

“The good news is that broadly across the aged-care system in Victoria, that we have been able, working together with the Victorian government, to avoid those distressing scenes in the overwhelming majority of facilities.”

Mr Morrison said reports of conflict with Mr Andrews were “greatly exaggerated”.

“The Premier and I enjoy a very good working relationship,” he said. “We enjoy a high level of respect for each other and the ­responsibilities we each have.”

Mr Andrews said he had a “professional and respectful relationship” with Mr Morrison. “All of us, the Prime Minister and I, our health officials and commonwealth officials are all focused on getting this job done,” he said.

Federal health secretary Brendan Murphy said it was inevitable more nursing home residents would die in Victoria.

“The most tragic part of this aged-care outbreak is that there have been 49 deaths. That is a ­terrible tragedy and there will be more,” Professor Murphy said.

He said pressure was mounting on the system because 381 aged-care staff had contracted the virus and many more were isolating to protect residents.

“The loss of staff with the virus and the loss of staff in quarantine has put a huge strain on workforce supply,” he said.

Mr Morrison said numerous actions were being undertaken to control the outbreak in affected facilities and prevent future ones in other nursing homes, including the deployment of the AUSMAT medical teams, more nurses and more protective equipment.

The first of five AUSMAT teams would arrive in Melbourne on Thursday, he said. “They are teams of seven, and they will act as a first responder into places that are going through a critical response to stabilise the situation.”

Mr Andrews said 80 residents from St Basil’s in Fawkner had been moved to hospital, along with 34 from Epping Gardens and 30 from Kirkbrae. A team of ADF nurses has been deployed to assist residents at Epping Gardens.

The latest outbreaks will not form part of the deliberations by the royal commission next month when it examines the impact of the pandemic on aged care. The commissioners are concerned it would be a distraction from the response efforts and cause additional distress to families.