Newmarch families want inquiry after residents cleared of COVID-19
Grieving families of Newmarch House residents want the coroner to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak at the western Sydney nursing home, where 19 residents have died after being diagnosed with the virus.
The call comes after Newmarch House operator Anglicare cleared all remaining COVID-19 patients of the virus on Sunday, seven weeks after the outbreak began. But the home itself is still some weeks away from being cleared by NSW Health.
Tributes are left outside Newmarch House aged care facility, where 19 residents died after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Credit:Edwina Pickles
For families restricted from visits to loved ones since March 23, it is a long road – and there are fears that despite survivors being declared "recovered", there will be more deaths as a result of their ordeal.
Mary Watson, whose mother Alice Bacon was the last resident to die with the virus on May 19, says she wants the coroner to investigate all the Newmarch deaths.
She said she's not satisfied the aged care royal commission's plan to look at the impact of COVID-19 on the sector will get to the bottom of why so many died at Newmarch.
"I don't understand, it's 19 people. Where's the coroner?," Ms Watson said.
Mary Watson, right, visited her mother, Alice Bacon, at Newmarch House through the window for her birthday on April 5.
She believes her mother could have survived if she had been sent to hospital when she was towards the end of the virus but still very weak.
Instead, she said, Alice missed a crucial "window of opportunity" to receive potentially-lifesaving fluids, Ms Watson said.
Alice Bacon, 93, was the last resident to die after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
The decision not to transfer infected residents to hospital remains a sticking point for some families who feel they were misinformed about the level of care provided under "hospital in the home" provisions.
"They assured us, and you heard it a thousand times, about 'hospital in the house' and that everything they needed was in there," Ms Watson said.
"But that actually turned out to be not true, because they didn’t have IV fluids or tubing and it took a day to get them out. That was the window we lost, I believe."
Peter Flynn, executive medical director at Nepean Hospital, said he did not think there was much distinction between the treatment on offer at the hospital and at Newmarch.
He said the care provided at Newmarch was much more advanced than usual "hospital in the home" care, and included oxygen, drug therapy, and specialist teams in infectious diseases, geriatrics and palliative care.
There were also downsides of moving people from nursing homes into hospital, Dr Flynn said, including confusion and distress, and the risk of further infection.
"It might not be COVID, but we've got a lot of other [germs] which are just as bad if not worse," Dr Flynn said. "And the outcomes for the patients are a lot worse than if they're not confused."
A spokesman for NSW Health said people were transferred to hospital and that it was a clinical decision made in consultation with families.
But Louise Payne, whose mother Yvonne went downhill after being cleared of the virus on May 10, said hospitalisation was never raised with her and she had to "jump up and down" for it to happen after she continued to deteriorate for two weeks.
"Every nurse I spoke to once I said I wanted mum to go to hospital, they were relieved. They said it's the best place for her," she said.
Ms Payne said her mother is improving in hospital, but she isn't certain she will recover. She wants to know why hospitalisation was not suggested earlier and it was left to family to make the demand.
"You can't have 19 people pass away like that and so many people compromised from COVID ... They deserve an inquiry."
Anglicare CEO Grant Millard said last month if he could have his time again he would have sent all the nursing home's COVID-19 patients to hospital.
Anglicare did not respond to requests for comment on the issues raised by Ms Payne and Ms Watson.