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The aged care royal commission will grill a retirement home owner over the Queensland facility’s abrupt closure, which forced the emergency evacuation of about 70 elderly residents.
Arthur Miller, who owns aged care provider People Care, will be questioned at a public hearing in Brisbane next week about the Earle Haven Retirement Village’s sudden closure.
The royal commission is also expected to hear from a Queensland Ambulance Service representative who went to the Gold Coast retirement village on the day it closed.
The July 11 shutdown was sparked by a financial dispute between People Care and subcontractor HelpStreet.
Emergency services personnel evacuated 68 elderly and frail residents, some living with dementia, and moved them to other aged care facilities.
Patient records and medication had been removed from the home, along with food and cleaning products.
The royal commission on Friday said it may also hear evidence from Kristofer Bunker, the global CEO of HelpStreet which managed the residential care facilities at Earle Haven.
Representatives from the federal health department and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will also be questioned about Earle Haven.
The royal commission said it will be seeking to understand how the events of July 11 could have happened and how such events might be avoided in the future.
The commission said it will also examine the broader regulatory history of People Care, including as a provider of home care services.
The public hearing into the regulation of the aged care system will begin on Monday with the focus on Earle Haven.
The week-long hearing will also examine how the aged care system deals with reports of assaults against care recipients and other complaints about the quality and safety of care.
Australian Associated Press
