Health by Natasha Bita, Kyle Wisniewski 29th Jan 2021 5:16 AM Premium Content  Exclusive: A Queensland nursing home has been declared an immediate and severe risk to residents after a surprise swoop by government inspectors. An investigation by News Corp Australia can reveal that 26 Australian aged care homes have current sanctions or compliance orders imposed by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC), after unannounced audits. In Queensland, the ACQSC found an immediate and severe risk to residents at the Southport Lodge nursing home on the Gold Coast. A new audit report, released only this week, reveals ACQSC slapped a sanction on the home last month, banning it from receiving taxpayer subsidies for any new residents for six months.
Exclusive: Newmarch House, where NSW s deadliest COVID-19 cluster killed 17 elderly residents, is among the aged care homes which have been busted breaking coronavirus rules during the pandemic. Government inspectors uncovered ongoing COVID-19 breaches in 15 nursing homes - nine in NSW, four in Victoria and two in Queensland - despite the deaths of 685 Australians in aged care from the coronavirus last year. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) cut short the accreditation of Newmarch House in Kingswood until May 14 this year, after it failed an unannounced audit in July. Deficits were found in staff infection control practices and cleaning of equipment including during the COVID-19 outbreak, the audit report states.