When his department responded, a spokesperson for Mr Colbeck said the commission was an independent regulator and conducted the spot check as part of its infection control monitoring activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said as a spot check “is a monitoring visit, not a performance assessment”, there was no published report.
“Where issues or concerns are identified, the commission will consider further regulatory action to ensure the provider is meeting quality and safety obligations,” the spokesperson said.
“If the service fails to meet their obligations under the Aged Care Act 1997, the commission has a number of regulatory mechanisms available including the issuing of sanctions and Notices of Requirement to Agree to Certain Matters (NTA).”
However, the Riv understands the sudden spot check was organised after whistleblowers at the Echuca aged care facility alerted the office of Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum, who made urgent appeals to Senator Colbeck for support.
Questions put to Senator Colbeck included:
- The Aged Care Commission made a surprise visit to Bupa Echuca on Thursday. Why did your office send them in and what were they looking for?
- With the COVID-19 spotlight on aged care in Melbourne, is there in fact a bigger problem endemic to the industry — especially with staffing/skill levels?
- How concerned are you that you had to send people in to check on a service that is already under sanctions and how do you explain this to residents and families?
In September 2019, the ABC reported more than half of the nursing homes run by Bupa, Australia's largest private provider, were failing basic standards of care and 30 per cent were putting the health and safety of the elderly at “serious risk” according to accreditation reports it had analysed.
The ABC reported Bupa had had 13 homes sanctioned by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and been under fire for overcharging residents for extra services it did not provide.
At the time, Bupa chief executive Hisham El-Ansary told the ABC he was “truly sorry” for not getting the quality of care right for all its residents.
Advocates at the time were asking whether Bupa, which receives almost half a billion dollars in government funding each year, is fit to be an aged care provider.
But with almost 6500 residents and 72 homes, they also question whether the government could revoke its accreditation without “catastrophic” consequences for the residents.
“They have a terrible record, but I just think Bupa is too big to fail,” said Lynda Saltarelli, from advocacy group Aged Care Crisis.
More from the Riverine Herald's Bupa investigation
Bupa staff allege “institutionalised neglect” at Echuca facility
Bupa responds to Echuca facility allegations
Sexual harassment and other claims go "unheard" at Bupa Echuca
