Coronial inquest into deaths at St Basils aged care home hears how doctors warnings were ignored
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In an opening statement counsel assisting Peter Rozen QC said staff at the home were furloughed on July 22 after potentially being exposed to the virus, but the federal health department was unable to find sufficient staff to replace them.
He said public servants in Canberra who had never been to St Basil's were making decisions about staffing "in the teeth of very clear warning from doctors who are caring for those same residents".
One doctor involved in the response, Dr Rabin Sinnappu, warned that replacing all of the regular St Basil's staff would result in disaster, while another described it as a "shocking" idea.
Mr Rozen said there were too few replacement staff to look after 100 elderly and frail people during the outbreak, and although a number of the new workers went "above and beyond", the circumstances were impossible.
He also explained the delay between the notification of the first COVID case at the home on July 9, and test results becoming available on July 17, was a root cause of the failure to contain the outbreak.
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The first witness to give evidence is Christine Golding whose mother Efraxia, 84, caught the virus at the home.
She has testified that before the outbreak, St Basil's had provided good, culturally appropriate care for her mother, but described conditions later on as "horrible".
The inquest will also hear evidence from aged care staff who will describe medications left on the floor, and people who had died being wheeled out of the home without any attempt to shield other residents.
Forty-five residents died from coronavirus, but the inquest is also covering five other deaths at the home during the same period.
The brief of evidence runs for more than 7000 pages and is set to include a report by infectious diseases expert Dr Ian Norton.
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