Carol Altmann – The Terrier

A week ago, hundreds of people gathered in the cold to stand up for Lyndoch Living and call upon the board to tell us what’s going on.

That call has fallen on deaf ears.

The only public comments from Lyndoch chair Sue Cassidy –  as reported by The Standard last Monday – completely side-stepped the string of concerns raised at the rally by local MPs, ex-staff and concerned members of the community.

Statements from Hon Roma Britnell, Hon Bev McArthur, Hon Dan Tehan, former Lyndoch CEO Rhys Boyle, Dr Michael McCluskey, Diane Riordon, Sandy Hockley, and one little terrier, all asked the board for one thing:

Full transparency.

The board, in response, has shrugged its shoulders and shown no sign of changing a thing.

This lack of transparency flies in the face of Lyndoch being a community asset for more than 70 years. 

And it flies in the face of Lyndoch being a registered charity that each year receives tens of millions of dollars from residents and taxpayers.

As one woman in the crowd said last week, “people sell their houses to go into Lyndoch”.

This lack of public accountability means we – the public – are being left in the dark by the board that is appointed to represent us.

So our questions remain: Why are so many Lyndoch staff leaving and going to work elsewhere in aged care?

Why are there so many shocking stories about declining residential care?

Why has Lyndoch cut off community memberships?

Is the $22 million (or whatever the cost is now) medical clinic financially sound?

Based on the report in The Standard, the only comment Ms Cassidy could offer was that the board are volunteers – which is irrelevant – and are community members – which is obvious.

The fact is that Lyndoch is now run like a private company and nobody outside of the tight, Lyndoch circle gets a look in.

The social contract between the board and the community has been completely broken.

As was made clear last Sunday, the community is agitated and people are worried.

People hold genuine concerns about Lyndoch’s financial future, its staffing, its management style, and, first and foremost, the daily care of our elderly citizens.

These concerns are based on fact: both Lyndoch Living nursing home and May Noonan Hostel in Terang are under threat of sanctions. We have no idea how these failings are being addressed and if Lyndoch is on track to be re-accredited in August.

The CEO, again in comments to The Standard, blamed the failings on tougher standards. If this is the case, why is Lyndoch the only aged care home in Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Camperdown, Mortlake and beyond to be failing?

And, as it stands, the $22 million new medical clinic is nowhere near being ready to open by next month, as planned.

This means delays, and most likely cost blowouts, but we have been told nothing.

The Lyndoch board can only ignore the community for so long.

From my standpoint, it’s now on notice.

It’s on notice from our MPs, who gave a public commitment to stand with us, and we are relying on Roma Britnell, Bev McArthur and Dan Tehan to follow through, strongly.

And it’s on notice from a groundswell of people from right across the community who are now speaking up and standing up to fight for Lyndoch, both up front and behind the scenes.

If we care about Lyndoch, we have to see this through and demand full transparency and a board that either connects with the community, or steps aside.

The future of our Lyndoch depends on it.

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Righto, off we go. Let’s pick up right where we left off, because after all I am like a dog with a bone, and so tonight I am gnawing on the many things that we still need to know about Lyndoch Living – our community owned aged care home.

If any readers hoped that I might be moving on to another issue, look away now, because I am not finished with what has been a three-year investigation into how Lyndoch has changed, who has been involved, why and whether we can soon rest easy.

I am seeing this through – it will remain the focus of The Terrier for now – and I hope you will too.

Ah but hang on, there is one issue we need to address first and that is Covid.

Covidcovidcovidcovid.

Covid, as we know, is still disrupting aged care homes right across Australia with lockdowns, Covid outbreaks, visitation restrictions, and worsening staff shortages, and all of this is having a terrible impact on those who are isolated from their loved ones.

I am sure we all understand this, but Covid is not and cannot be a reason to stop asking the hard questions of Lyndoch that still remain unanswered.

In my view, it is even more of a reason to probe deeply into our publicly owned aged care home, because the local community are the custodians and caretakers of Lyndoch and we want to know that it is operating at the very highest standards of care, trust, accountability and transparency.

This has been the battle for the past three years – longer for those who work there – and it is not over yet.

Let’s begin with the AGM that was held just over a month ago.

At that time, Chair Susan Cassidy said during the livestream that any questions from members would be taken on notice.

Were there any questions from members taken on notice? If so, what were these questions?

What were the answers?

I asked Ms Cassidy this in an email last week and, so far, have not had a reply.

If there were no questions from members, then Lyndoch – a $100 million publicly owned organisation – held its AGM without a SINGLE question being asked.

Not one.

Perhaps I am wrong and Ms Cassidy will be in touch shortly with the list of rigorous questions and answers.

Such as:

Why has Lyndoch’s equity (assets minus liabilities) progressively fallen by a staggering $28 million in just six years?

In 2015, Lyndoch’s net assets were $69 million.

Last year, they had fallen to $41 million.

We will learn more about the Lyndoch figures at the end of this month, when it reports to the charities commission, so I will write more fulsomely on this then.

For now, however, we know a big slice of Lyndoch’s spending goes on staff costs and that it has also borrowed big time to fund its $22m medical clinic.

So, how is staffing? What are the bed numbers and staff ratios?

We see shift shortages being leaked to this page all the time – so why, in this climate, is Lyndoch bleeding so many experienced staff? Has the board asked questions and read the exit interviews?

And is it correct that Lyndoch is poised to hire a bunch of nurses trained overseas in order to fill the gaps?

What about the accreditation of Lyndoch due next month – is it on track to address all of the failings exposed by the aged care commission and pass with flying colours?

My sense is that Covid will see this accreditation delayed, but that doesn’t change the need for reassurance that Lyndoch has addressed ALL of the failings in Warrnambool and at its May Noonan Hostel in Terang.

And how is the $22 million medical clinic shaping up? Is it on budget?

And are all the GPs who are currently contracted with Lyndoch until April intending to stay on or will they follow Dr Phil Hall if, as reported, he re-opens a clinic at the existing Liebig St site?

What if the GPs don’t renew their contracts? How will Lyndoch fill its ginormous, three-level medical centre and not create another Sam’s Warehouse scenario?

Another whole pile of questions also come from the surprise announcement at the AGM that consultant Robert Lane had been hired to sort out how board appointments, and I assume general membership to Lyndoch, will be handled from here.

Mr Lane said there would be an advisory committee, chaired by himself and made up of two current board members (Mr Kane Grant and Ms Lorraine Mielnik), who would assist the board with its decisions on memberships which, to date, have made no sense to anyone.

I will also be learning more about that whole process this week, so stay tuned.

So many questions…I hope you are well rested and ready.

On we go.

[Thanks for reading, and if you would like to buy Jock a juicy bone as a thankyou, you can visit the Tip Jar here: https://tinyurl.com/yckzankb]

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Below are 31 questions that have been sent today on behalf of members of the community to Lyndoch Living chair Sue Cassidy for next week’s Annual General Meeting (Dec 14).

Only members of Lyndoch Living are legally entitled to ask questions at the meeting, but – as we know – more than 115 people have been denied membership these past 18 months.

We are shut out of any legal obligations.

My argument, however, is Lyndoch has a moral obligation to answer questions posed by the community.

After all, the Warrnambool community raised $20,000 toward the $80,000 purchase price of Lyndoch in the 1950s.

That $20,000 was essential to the Government providing a grant for the remaining $60,000.

Without that $20,000, there would be no Lyndoch Living, simple as that.

The community has since donated tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars toward Lyndoch via donations, raffles, bequests and salary sacrifice.

As far as I’m concerned, the community and Lyndoch residents are the “shareholders” of Lyndoch Living Limited, and shareholders get to ask questions at the AGM about the company, and its management.

So here are 31 questions, distilled from the more than 50 that were offered by you. We shall see if any answers are forthcoming. Thankyou for being a part of this campaign to return Lyndoch to the community it serves.

1. Why is Lyndoch Living not accepting any new members from the community?

2. Who are the current members of Lyndoch Living?

3. What criteria are used to select member applicants?

4. Why are there no copies of previous annual reports on the Lyndoch Living website?

5. Why is Lyndoch Living no longer advertising board vacancies and how are potential board members identified and selected?

6. Why does Lyndoch Living currently have only seven board members and not nine as required by its Constitution?

7. What steps have been taken to reach the accreditation standards required by February 2022 and to also address the 19 areas of non-compliance at May Noonan Hostel?

8. Is the $22 million primary health care centre (PHCC) fully tenanted in preparation for its opening in 2022?

9. What is the contingency plan if the PHCC is not fully tenanted?

10. Has the cost of the $22 million PHCC been impacted by Covid-19 due to increased costs in construction and materials? When is the building expected to achieve profitability?

11. If a new medical clinic opens at the premises of the former Warrnambool Medical Clinic (as reported by local media), how will this affect the capacity of the PHCC to attract new GPs and retain its existing GPs?

12. Will Lyndoch Living release the Business Case underpinning the Board’s decision to approve the construction of the PHCC?

13. What are the underlying assumptions which gave the Board the confidence to go ahead with an investment of $22m and the assurance that this project will result in a viable, sustainable and successful clinic, which poses no risk to Lyndoch’s ongoing financial position – especially its cash flow and solvency – and ability to prioritise its purpose to provide quality care for the region’s elderly citizens?

14. Will the directors of the Warrnambool Medical Clinic by Lyndoch Living be paid once the clinic is operational from the new premises?

15. Does the Lyndoch Living CEO receive performance bonuses as part of the employment contract approved by the board?

16. What is the current debt of Lyndoch and its strategy for repayment?

17. Can the board identify, separately, how much was spent on consultancies in 2020-21 and how much was spent on legal fees? Was this expenditure signed off by the board?

18. Has Lyndoch budgeted in 2021-22 to repair the nurse call system and resident call bell system?

19. How many staff have left Lyndoch Living in the past 18 months and how much has this cost?

20. What is the strategy to retain experienced staff?

21. What feedback (staff surveys, exit interviews etc) has the board received regarding staff satisfaction at Lyndoch Living and what actions, if any, have been taken in response?

22. Does the Board receive monthly reports outlining all compliments and complaints received, and incidents (falls, wound care etc) and sentinel events which have occurred for the previous month, and does this report include action(s) which will be taken in response? What has been acted upon and lessons learned to ensure continuous improvement in quality of care, and ensure proper oversight and accountability of the Board?

23. What measures are being taken to seek feedback from residents and their representatives, and what is being done to address issues raised by residents and their representatives?

24. Has the board reviewed Lyndoch’s business partnerships and sponsorships and how are these performing in terms of quantifiable benefits to Lyndoch?

25. What is the financial position of Waterfront Living? Is it fully sold and covering its costs?

26. Has there been an increase or decrease in the number of Lyndoch Home Care Package clients in the last 12 months? How does Lyndoch set its fee structures for the packages?

27. How much has the sponsorship of the May Racing Carnival Grand National Steeplechase and Lyndoch corporate tent cost since the sponsorship began, which budget line does this money come from, and what have been the quantifiable benefits to Lyndoch?

28. Is Lyndoch Living currently meeting all of its payments to suppliers on time?

29. How are bequests to Lyndoch solicited and is the approach compliant with the Fundraising Institute of Australia, including charity codes?

30. Has the patient/staff member ratio been met? If not, what has been done to remain compliant?

31. How many falls and pressure wounds were recorded in the past 12 months and how does this compare to the previous 12 months?

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Well blow me down: Lyndoch Living has opened up its annual general meeting to the community it serves.

If you haven’t heard already, people who sent emails asking for a link to the AGM via Zoom on Tuesday 14 December have recently been sent a reply saying that they will receive a link and an agenda on Monday 13 December.

This is a breakthrough.

Lyndoch has finally realised, it seems, that it has obligations both as a charity and as a community owned organisation.

As a charity, it must – by law – maintain public confidence in its operations.

Blocking the public out of an AGM does not instil confidence: it crushes it.

In terms of accountability as a charity, it would be a big fat fail.

And as a community owned organisation, Lyndoch has a moral obligation to allow the community it serves to join its AGM as observers.

We have every right to watch the chair, Sue Cassidy, deliver the annual report and to hear how Lyndoch is travelling financially.

We also have a right to see who, if anyone, has been approached for the two board positions which have remained vacant since May and who from the current board will be elected again.

This is pretty basic stuff and for Lyndoch to have tried to slam the door shut and make the AGM a select, invitation only event was sending it down a perilous path that I am almost certain would make an interesting case for the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission.

But while the door has opened slightly, it is far from being flung off its hinges.

None of us can ask questions at the AGM, we can only watch.

We can’t ask questions unless we are members of Lyndoch and we know how that works: nobody is allowed to join unless hand-picked.

I have a number of questions I would like asked at the AGM and perhaps you do too.

But we can’t ask them, because we have all been denied membership to Lyndoch.

Bugger that. Let’s ask them anyway.

If you have a question, please email it to me (TerrierCarol@protonmail.com) or DM via Facebook and I will make sure they are sent to the chair by next Friday, 9 December.

Here are a couple of questions on my list:

Is the $22 million medical clinic fully tenanted?

What is the contingency plan if unable to fill it?

What is the debt strategy of Lyndoch?

How many staff have left the organisation in the past 18 months and how much has this cost?

What is the strategy to retain experienced staff?

Why are there no copies of previous annual reports on the Lyndoch Living website?

Has the board checked the figures presented to the AGM? How was this done?

What feedback, if any, has the board had regarding staff satisfaction at Lyndoch?

Has the board reviewed Lyndoch’s business partnerships and sponsorships and how are these performing?

What is the financial position of the Waterfront Living apartment complex? Is it fully sold?

…over to you.

(If you would like to join the Zoom, email ceo@lyndoch.org.au by 9 December.)

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Tonight I can reveal that a group of Lyndoch staff tried to alert the Lyndoch board to a looming staff crisis more than a year ago, but was ignored.

An explosive letter has emerged that was written by a group of experienced staff to the Lyndoch board on 2 April 2020 – 18 months ago.

The letter was delivered to the board via a trusted intermediary, a Warrnambool GP.

Staff are forbidden under Lyndoch policy to approach the board directly, but the authors, who represented a cross-section of Lyndoch, clearly felt they had no choice.

“It is with grave concern that we feel compelled to formally address the Board of Directors of Lyndoch Living,” the letter begins.

“Our knowledge that this direct communication may lead to employment termination must also demonstrate the gravity of our actions and the reason we undertake this anonymously,” it says.

Between them, the letter says, the authors have more than 50 years experience in aged care and they came with a warning:

“Over the last four years we have seen a significant deterioration of staff morale, and poor and highly detrimental decision making…,” they write.

“This has resulted in a very poor culture, significant stress and distress among staff, sick leave and resignations”.

Let’s just stop there for a moment.

I wish I could publish the entire letter, but Lyndoch is too litigious for me to take that risk, so what follows is my edited version of what the authors outline as their issues of major concern, the alleged causes and the request for action.

The staff tell the board that they tried to raise their concerns through the normal channels, but have got nowhere.

In fact the situation only got worse.

“Unfortunately we have met with obstruction, denial or dismissal at each point,” they write.

Either a lack of action or consequences for speaking up, meant other staff remained silent, which led to more “inappropriate and detrimental behaviour”.

The authors say they turned to two politicians for help who were alarmed by their claims and urged the staff to contact the board directly.

So they did, via a letter that could not be more direct.

They urged the board to do a “fearless review” of Lyndoch Living that would include three things:

1. Engage an independent company to undertake a cultural staff survey. (The) previous cultural review was prepared for the law firm that represents Lyndoch Living.

2. Ensure that the recommendations within the independent survey are tabled, considered and actioned by the Board;

3. Engage an independent forensic accountant to review appropriate resident related expenditure and review the current investment portfolio and commitments in line with a not-for-profit culture.

And at the end of the letter came the kicker.

The authors offered to meet with the board, to show their faces, and to step away from anonymity.

They would do this, they said, provided they could be protected from any threat to their jobs, and assured confidentiality.

This is huge.

Anybody who knows a Lyndoch worker who wants to speak up, but doesn’t, knows that the number one reason given is fear of being targeted, or losing their job.

The courageous staff behind this letter swallowed that fear because they believed if they did nothing, the situation would only deteriorate.

They decided to trust the board.

So they wrote their letter, they had it delivered via the GP and they waited for a response via the same intermediary.

And nothing happened.

They didn’t get a reply, much less an invitation to come and talk with the board in confidence.

I know the board received the letter and I know it was discussed, but it went no further.

The board stayed silent.

And the brave staff, their hearts swollen with disbelief and disappointment, felt that they were entirely on their own. They retreated back into the shadows and got on with caring for the elderly and vulnerable residents of Lyndoch.

That was 18 months ago.

I don’t know what has happened to the staff who wrote this letter, but their predicted catastrophe has come to pass.

The steady loss of experienced and dedicated staff from right across Lyndoch over the past five years has, in recent weeks, become a flood.

And still the board says, and does, nothing.

* Board members Percy Eccles and Suzanne Coulson resigned in March and May of this year. They have not been replaced.