Ombudsman WA to conduct independent investigation and report to Parliament
Ombudsman WA will investigate why the family of Joyce Savage was not notified of her death by the Office of the Public Advocate.
Attorney General John Quigley today referred the matter to the Ombudsman, Chris Field, who has indicated he will conduct an investigation pursuant to the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1971 (WA).
In 2019 the Public Advocate was appointed as a limited guardian of Ms Savage with functions relating to accommodation, treatment and the provision of services.
Mr Quigley said that this matter warranted an independent investigation into what happened.
The Attorney General’s office was made aware this afternoon of two other families who have raised concerns about delays in being notified of their loved ones’ deaths.
A beloved great-grandmother lay in a morgue for 10 days before her aged care facility told her family she was dead.
Joyce Savage died on February 14 in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, the day after she was admitted by staff at her aged care facility, where she lived for five years, for continuous vomiting.
The 89-year-old dementia sufferer s daughter Kaye Davis was not told her mother had died until February 23, when Acacia Living Group s Menora Gardens called to ask her to collect her things.
She claimed someone from the facility asked on the phone: Did you know your mother died?