NSW Shadow Minister for Seniors, Jo Haylen, has renewed calls for the NSW Government to urgently explain how they will help resolve the looming crisis in Bupa aged care.

If Bupa aged care fails, vulnerable residents are likely to end up in public hospitals or relying on community services across NSW.

Bupa is Australia’s largest private provider of aged care with over 6,500 residents in 72 homes and is reportedly in weekly crisis meetings with the Federal Government amidst mounting failures to meet basic standards.

Further revelations detailed by the ABC 7.30 report show that more than half of Bupa’s nursing homes have failed basic standards and almost one third of homes are putting the health and safety of elderly residents at “serious risk.”

The report has also found that of the 72 homes run by Bupa Aged Care:

- 45 have not met all required health and safety standards;
- 22 put the health and safety of elderly residents at “serious risk”;
- 13 have been sanctioned, losing government funding and permission to admit new residents;
- 5 facilities including two in NSW (Seaforth and Eden), have had their accreditation revoked (Seaforth has not been re-accredited).

Residents and families are deeply concerned that Bupa is being given preferential treatment by the State and Federal governments given they are “too big to fail,” and that their loved ones will be put in public hospitals, as was the case in Queensland when Earle Haven aged care was closed.

Quotes attributable to Jo Haylen, Shadow Minister for Seniors and Volunteers

“The Government can’t continue to just bat this issue away as a Federal issue given residents will end up in NSW public hospitals if Bupa fails.

“It’s extraordinary that while the largest aged care provider in the country is in crisis, the NSW Government is sitting on its hands and hoping someone else will fix it.

“If the Federal Government fails to sort this out and improve standards in Bupa aged care homes, our hospitals will see cases of maggots in head wounds, scabies infections, dehydration and other cases like we’ve seen reported in the media.

“The Government must immediately explain what they have done and guarantee that the wellbeing of care of aged care residents doesn’t depend on whether their provider is “too big too fail.”