Lyndoch Living concerns amid pandemic met with silence

Questions around two people from Melbourne entering Lyndoch and a delay in the issuing of masks to all staff have failed to produce a murmur from the Lyndoch board.

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

This past week has seen two extremely serious issues arise at Lyndoch Living aged care in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and yet the response from the board is a wall of silence.

First, Lyndoch only issued masks to all of its staff yesterday: 12 days after the Federal health minister declared masks mandatory for staff in all aged care homes in Victoria.

Second, Lyndoch allowed two people from Melbourne into its facility last Thursday and Friday, despite that city being in full lockdown and a declaration from the Victorian Chief Health Officer that, as of last Wednesday night, tightened access to aged care homes even further.

(https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/visiting-care-facilities-covid-…)

I asked the board members – chair and MPower CEO Kerry Nelson, hairdresser and W’bool City Councillor Sue Cassidy, accountant Kane Grant from Sinclair & Wilson, retired academic Rob Wallis, nursing academics Suzanne Coulson and Lorraine Mielnik, agriculturalist Ron Page, WCC manager Andrew Paton and real estate agent Percy Eccles – if they were concerned and if they intended to investigate.

Silence.

Not a single word.

I am not sure who the board represents, but it is clearly not the community.

We have not been given any explanation, or had any response to these concerns, from the CEO, the chair, or the board.

Lyndoch is community owned in theory, but it might as well be owned by Bupa.

 

Fortunately there are still people who will speak up for us and the most vulnerable people in our community in the face of this devastating pandemic.

South-west Victoria Upper House MP Bev McArthur said by email last night that she was “alarmed” by the allegations around people from Melbourne entering Lyndoch and would be investigating the matter further.

“There is no question that aged care facilities should have bulletproof infection control strategies, and we already have seen the tragic consequences of failures in this area,” she said.

“I will certainly contact the senior management of Lyndoch Living to ask for explanation of this apparent incident, and reassurance that proper controls are in place to protect vulnerable residents and indeed the whole local community.”

Local MP Roma Britnell was less direct. She suggested concerns about any breaches of the restrictions could be forwarded to the police.

As of today, Victoria is moving toward compulsory masks in public and even tighter restrictions on social contact and travel.

In this climate, I cannot understand why any aged care facility would be taking any risks unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

What is Lyndoch’s reasoning for its actions of the past week?

As it sits, we – the broader community – still have no answers to that question.



Covid-19 questions for Lyndoch Living

Carol Altmann – The Terrier

Given Covid-19 is gaining a terrifying grip on aged care homes in Victoria, I sent an email this morning to Lyndoch Living to find out why masks are not yet compulsory for all staff and all visitors.

I also wanted to find out why two professionals from Melbourne were allowed into Lyndoch Living last week, for what appears to have been non-essential, non-medical purposes.

Lyndoch has a ban on visitors who are from or have been in Melbourne.

This is the email:

Dear Lyndoch Media Unit,
I am hoping you can assist with the following questions:
I have had a number of people contact me these past four days in regard to the mask-wearing policy for staff and visitors at Lyndoch Living and why masks are not mandatory.
Can you outline why Lyndoch Living has not yet introduced a compulsory mask wearing policy for all staff given the Federal Government directive on 17 July that all aged care workers across Victoria would be required to do so?
(https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/two-million-more-face-masks-for-victorian-aged-care-and-disability-workers)
Is one of the issues that there are not enough masks available to provide to all staff?
Also, concerns have been raised with me about two visitors to Lyndoch Living last week who were apparently from Melbourne and who stayed in the Waterfront Living complex.
I understand these same people had access to Swinton Wing, while wearing hard hats, which suggests they were not visiting Lyndoch for medical or aged care service related purposes, but related to the construction works at Swinton Wing.
Those who contacted me were understandably concerned that it appears people travelling from Melbourne were permitted into Lyndoch and Waterfront Living complex for non-essential purposes and in contravention of the current ban on Melbourne visitors.
I am hoping you can clarify the situation to put these concerns to rest.
Regards,
Carol

 

I will let you know if I get a response.

In the meantime, as I write this, there are 764 active cases of Covid-19 in aged care homes across Victoria.

According to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, just under one fifth of Victoria’s 430 aged care facilities had been affected by C19.

Given the increase in C19 cases in south-west Victoria, Cobden Health moved in to full lock down eight days ago.

Mercy Place, in Warrnambool, also moved into temporary lockdown this week until at least tomorrow, with no new visitors other than those who already have visitation plans in place.

Moyne Health, Gillin Park, and Opal aged care have made it compulsory for staff to wear masks.

As Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says in his media release from 17 July above, the government has made another two million masks available to aged care and the disability sector.

The last Covid-19 update on the Lyndoch Living website was that same date, 17 July: 11 days ago.

As I said above, I will let you know if I get a response.