By PAUL MILLAR
The aged-care provider taking over a Portarlington nursing home previously covered up the cause of death of an elderly woman.
Bellarine Community Health has confirmed that it is selling Ann Nichol House to Arcare, despite widespread public concern.
Arcare, one of Australia’s largest aged-care providers, is no stranger to controversy.
Following the drowning death of the 76-year-old resident at Arcare Hamstead in May 2011, a police investigation was launched and the aged-care provider was in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
The dementia patient had fallen, unattended, into a small fountain at the facility, where she remained for more than 50 minutes.
When it was later confirmed that she was dead, she was taken back to her room and dried off before her family arrived.
Coroner Heather Spooner found, at the end of last year, that “the actions of some staff amounted to little more than a cover-up”.
The death was not initially reported to the coroner and details leading up to it only came to light when a staff member turned whistleblower and police were called in to investigate.
Bellarine Health Care agreed to sell the Portarlington centre to Arcare, considering it the best option as it was losing money.
However, the Member for Bellarine, Lisa Neville questioned the timing of the sale, the transfer of Crown land and the way it was rushed through.
“It was all done in an underhand way, I brought it up on Tuesday, asking whether it had been sold and on Wednesday it had been sold to Bellarine Community Health,” Ms Neville said.
“The government all along has misled the community… I will be raising my concerns with the Ombudsman and the Auditor General’s Office, this was obviously done before the government went into caretaker mode.”
There were seven providers in the running to take over the facility, four not-for-profit and three private providers.
The not-for-profit outfits dropped out of the running, leaving the three private enterprises to fight it out.
As part of the deal Bellarine Community Health came to an agreement with the state government to purchase the Crown land site and include it in the deal.
Chief executive of Bellarine Community Health John Fendyk said it allowed Arcare security of tenure for the future.
“We want to bed the sale down now and then look at some of the issues that have been raised,’’ Mr Fendyk said.
Mr Fendyk said that despite concerns, locals would be better off as the house would be expanded, creating more employment opportunities.
Arcare chief executive Colin Singh said he understood some people were disappointed that Ann Nichol House had been sold.
“I can’t change history,” he said.
“What I can do is give everyone at Ann Nichol House – and the broader Portarlington and Bellarine Peninsula communities – my absolute assurance that we are working hard to ensure the proposed sale is good for residents and good for employees,’’ he said.
Another spokesman for Arcare would not be drawn on the coroner’s finding and would not comment on whether staff currently employed at the centre would have to re-apply for their positions.
