Quality Commissioner issues statement on aged care incident
- Regulator focus: Commission probes alleged resident assault
- Provider responsibilities: Resident safety remains legal obligation
- Dementia specialist: HammondCare supports complex care needs
- Sector challenge: Resident-on-resident incidents remain common
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner has taken the rare step of issuing a media statement related to an incident in a NSW aged care home last week.
Last Wednesday (17 June), a resident of HammondCare's Hammondville aged care home, 31km southwest of the Sydney CBD, was allegedly seriously assaulted by another resident.
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Liz Hefren-Webb said the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is "working to understand" the events leading up to and surrounding a "serious incident involving the assault of a resident at HammondCare Hammondville".
"It is shocking to learn of any incident in a residential aged care service that has a serious impact on someone living there," she said.
"Aged care residents have a right to receive safe, quality care, and aged care providers have clear legal responsibilities to prevent, minimise the risk of, and respond effectively to any incidents that may impact residents."
She said the Commission will investigate the incident.
"If we find that the provider has not met their legal obligations, we will take action to hold them to account," she said.
"If at any time we find an immediate or severe risk to other residents living at the service, we will move quickly to ensure that they are safe."
HammondCare Executive General Manager Residential Care Jenny Summerton told The Weekly SOURCE, "We remain deeply saddened that one of our residents was injured in an incident at Hammondville last week.
"Linden Cottage is a Specialist Dementia Care Program unit, designed for people with very severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (known as Tier 6 behaviours). These behaviours are estimated to occur in about 1 per cent of people living with dementia.
"HammondCare is continuing to cooperate with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC). Senior HammondCare staff met with ACQSC representatives on 24 June 2026 to update them.
"Our thoughts continue to be with all those affected, especially the residents involved, their families and their representatives, with whom we have been in regular contact. We are providing our staff with additional support and pastoral care."
HammondCare is widely respected as a dementia care specialist, hosting the annual International Dementia Conference and running the Government-backed Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program (HACDSP).
Since the HACDSP was launched in January 2025, the Christian provider has helped nearly 700 people in hospital living with dementia find a place in residential aged care.
Last year HammondCare launched a bold campaign committing to supporting residents even with the most complex care needs, including those with dementia.
Resident on resident assaults are not uncommon in residential aged care.
According to the latest Serious Incident Response data, there were 2,400 cases of unreasonable use of force in October 2025. In a note on the topic in 2023, Janet Anderson, then Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, said more than 80% of unreasonable use of force cases involve residents using force against another resident.
