A daughter whose mother died from Covid in an aged care facility says grieving families who lost loved ones there are still seeking an apology four years on.
Joyce Parker’s mother Alice Bacon, 93, was the 100th person in Australia to die from Covid after an outbreak of the virus at Newmarch House, near Penrith, western Sydney, in April 2020 .
More than 70 residents and staff tested positive for Covid after a staff member worked for six days with mild respiratory symptoms.
Nineteen elderly residents died at the facility over a two-month period, prompting many of their families to launch a class-action lawsuit against care home operator Anglicare.
It was confirmed Monday that those families will receive a payment as part of a confidential legal settlement.
Four years on, Ms Parker has revealed the families have still not received an apology.
“Anglicare – all they had to do is say sorry, we didn’t handle it correctly,” Parker told Nine News.
When asked if the organization had taken responsibility for what happened, he responded: “Never.” Never’.
Alice Bacon (pictured) became the 100th person in Australia to die from Covid after contracting the virus at her care home, Anglicare’s Newmarch House in western Sydney.
Alice Bacon’s daughter Joyce Parker (pictured) said Anglicare has not apologized to the families who died from Covid four years ago.
Anglicare subsequently issued a statement to Nine News, apologizing to the families involved.
Mark Fahey was the lead plaintiff in the class action against Anglicare Sydney and Nepean-Blue Mountains Local Health District, after his mother Ann, 76, became the 14th resident of Newmarch House nursing home in die from the virus in May 2020.
His death came three weeks after an outbreak that began in April at facilities in western Sydney, where 19 people died from the virus.
Shine Lawyers special class action counsel Atanaan Ilango confirmed the settlement on Monday, adding that it will hopefully give family members a path forward as they navigate their grief.
The law firm represented family members of six of the 19 residents who died from COVID-19, as well as others who died at the nursing home.
An earlier statement of claim on the matter sought damages, interest and costs, as well as “such further orders as the court considers appropriate.”
Terms of the agreement have not been made public.
Nineteen residents died during Covid at Newmarch House (pictured), and some families joined a class action lawsuit against Anglicare and reached a settlement.
A coroner’s inquest into the deaths at Newmarch House was held in 2022, but no findings have yet been presented.
A spokesperson for the Nepean-Blue Mountains Local Health District said an agreement had been reached in principle, but the terms remain confidential.
The agreements require a judge’s approval and the case returns to the New South Wales Supreme Court on November 15.