The managing director of Opal Aged Care, one of the largest providers of aged care in the country, has resigned less than three months after 7.30 aired a series of allegations against him, including that he bullied residents and families.
In September Gary Barnier admitted telling a 94-year-old nursing home resident she had to leave an Opal home in Coffs Harbour if she continued "intimidating" the facility manager.
In August two Victorian families said they felt the Opal boss had bullied them when they raised concerns about the care their parents had received.
A Victorian man said Mr Barnier offered him $10,000 after his blind and diabetic mother died at Opal Lakeside in Victoria.
After those stories aired, the Opal board commissioned an independent review "into clinical leadership, customer service and complaints management".
In September a spokeswoman for AMP, which owns half of the company, said "we await the findings with interest and have been assured the conclusions will be made public".
The findings of that review have not been finalised yet, an Opal spokeswoman said.
In a memo to staff on Monday, Mr Barnier said it was a "difficult decision" to resign after seven years at the helm of the company.
"We have built an outstanding reputation for quality and hospitality that is second to none," Mr Barnier said.
He cited $900 million of new aged care developments as a proud achievement for the company.
Mr Barnier will stay on in an advisory role with Opal during a three-month transition.
It is unclear if he will remain on two federal committees that advise the government on aged care policy — the Aged Care Sector Committee and Aged Care Financing Authority.
In a statement, Opal Aged Care said Mr Barnier had left the company to pursue other opportunities in the healthcare industry.
