Four residents of Newmarch House aged care home have died since 8pm Monday. The number of residents from the western Sydney facility to die after testing positive to Covid-19 has now reached 11.
Anglicare Sydney announced the deaths on Tuesday evening, saying it was “deeply saddened to advise that four residents from its Newmarch House residential aged care site, who had tested positive for Covid-19, have passed away since 8pm last night”.
The home began testing for coronavirus on 11 April after a carer who worked part time at the facility tested positive to Covid-19. The carer had very mild symptoms, described by New South Wales public health officer Dr Kerry Chant as a “scratchy” throat, and worked five shifts at the home and two at a western Sydney disability service before she realised she was sick. It’s understood she did not have symptoms while still working.
As of Tuesday, 54 people at Newmarch – 20 staff members and 34 residents – have tested positive to the virus.
Anglicare has been scrambling to find casual aged care workers to backfill its roster because more than 50 of its regular staff members are on paid leave, either because they are sick or are in quarantine.
Family members of residents at the home have been raising concerns about the quality of care since news of the outbreak broke. Elizabeth Lane, whose mother is in a palliative care ward with severe dementia, said staff were so unsettled that her mother had noticed something was wrong.
“If a person with severe dementia can tell you that the place is going to hell in a hand basket then you know things are bad,” Lane told Guardian Australia. “It’s absolutely horrible to think of them living their dying days like this.”
Lane’s mother had previously tested negative to Covid-19 but on Saturday complained of a sore throat so severe she couldn’t test. She was swabbed again but, despite assurances from management that a doctor was on site, was only given a remote consultation with a doctor at nearby Nepean hospital and told she would not be seen in person until Monday. Lane has not heard whether that in-person consultation took place or been told the result of the most recent test.
She said she and others with parents in the home have been unable to get timely responses to questions about their loved ones’ health. Last week, Lane was bypassing the overloaded reception phone and calling the nurses’ station in her mother’s ward directly to receive information. On Sunday, that number showed as disconnected.
“We are all so worried,” Lane said. “We’re thinking, are we going to be the next ones to get a phone call?”
Lane said that she had confidence in the regular staff at the home, who had good relationships with the residents, but she was concerned the casual staff currently manning the home were too stretched to notice other health concerns. Workers told her that Saturday was the first day in weeks that they had a full complement of staff rostered on.
Lane hasn’t been able to see her mother in person since 23 March, and had a video call facilitated by the staff about 10 days ago. She was hopeful that she would be able to visit her mother, if the second test proved negative, on 1 May, but is unsure if the home will extend its lockdown in response to the recent deaths.
Anglicare Sydney said it would be “some weeks before the home is clear of the virus”.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to these families for the losses they are experiencing,” it said.
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“This is a tragic time not only for the families who have lost their loved ones but for other residents and families. It is also taking a deep toll on our staff who cared for and knew these residents and families so well.”
Some family members have been staging a daily protest outside the home. The Older Persons Advocacy Network (Opan) held a video conference for all family members on Tuesday night.
