St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Vic fined for COVID-19 breaches
The Victorian Not For Profit aged care provider has been sentenced for failing to provide a safe working environment during a 2020 COVID-19 outbreak.
On Wednesday (11 March), Victoria's County Court fined St Basil's Homes for the Aged in Victoria $150,000 for failing to provide specialised information, instruction, training or supervision about the donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) to five employees between 13 March and 12 July 2020.
WorkSafe Victoria originally imposed nine charges against St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Victoria, but the two parties reached an agreement that the matter would proceed without going to trial on the basis that St Basil’s would plead guilty to one charge only.
WorkSafe agreed to withdraw the remaining eight charges.
St Basil’s employed 106 workers at the time, across a workplace that included a 54-bed hostel, a 72-bed nursing home, and a 24-bed dementia unit.
Deadly outbreak
In March 2020, the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) published guidelines aimed at controlling the transmission of COVID-19 in residential aged care facilities.
The operator conducted five training sessions at the Fawkner facility, 12km north of the Melbourne CBD, between March and June, but the court heard five staff members did not attend any of the sessions and not all staff understood the measures.
In July, a personal care attendant advised St Basil’s that they had tested positive for COVID-19. Subsequently, 45 residents died from COVID-19 and 45 staff members were infected.
"Heartbreaking"
St Basil’s admitted it had failed to provide all workers with information, instruction and training about required items of PPE, the sequence and manner of donning and doffing PPE, and what constituted a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case that would require PPE to be worn.
WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said, "The tragic events at St Basil’s were a heartbreaking reminder of why health and safety matters, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those impacted."
Families of aged care residents who died told the ABC they were "disappointed" the company was only fined and are working with a law firm to mount a class action against the facility's management.
The resident deaths at the facility are also the subject of a coronial inquest. In 2024, State Coroner John Cain put the inquiry on hold until the conclusion of the WorkSafe charges.
