Advertisement

Suspicious nursing home deaths investigated

The suspicious deaths of five residents at a Townsville aged-care home are being investigated by police.

The suspicious deaths of five residents at a Townsville aged-care home are being investigated by police. Photo: Carinity

Numerous investigations are underway into the suspicious deaths of five people at a Baptist-run aged care home in Townsville.

Carinity says one of its own staffers raised the alarm last November, sparking the immediate removal of three registered nurses for failing in their duty of care at its Fairfield Grange home.

The nurses had been under the instruction of a doctor, who’s the subject of a report to the Queensland government’s Office of the Health Ombudsman.

Carinity chief executive Jon Campbell has reassured residents of the home that they’re now safe.

“Carinity removed any harm or potential for harm on 22 November last year,” he said in a statement on Wednesday, also expressing deep sadness and sympathy for affected families.

“While the nurses acted within the doctor’s direction, no system is immune from the ability of human beings to make inappropriate choices. We will continue to strengthen and improve our systems based on this experience.”

Two weeks after the nurses were sacked, assessors from the federal government’s Australian Aged Care Quality Agency arrived to carry out a six-day audit of the home.

The deaths are the subject of ongoing probes by police and the coroner.

All five people who died had been receiving palliative care at the Townsville home.

-AAP

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.