Health by Natasha Bita
Premium Content Exclusive: Newmarch House, where NSW s deadliest COVID-19 cluster killed 17 elderly residents, is among the aged care homes which have been busted breaking coronavirus rules during the pandemic. Government inspectors uncovered ongoing COVID-19 breaches in 15 nursing homes - nine in NSW, four in Victoria and two in Queensland - despite the deaths of 685 Australians in aged care from the coronavirus last year. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) cut short the accreditation of Newmarch House in Kingswood until May 14 this year, after it failed an unannounced audit in July. Deficits were found in staff infection control practices and cleaning of equipment including during the COVID-19 outbreak, the audit report states.