industry & reform
Oakden whistleblower Barbara Spriggs
and son Clive. Photo: James Elsby, AAP
Aged Care Royal Commission
A summary of the first hearing
of the Royal Commission into
Aged Care Quality and Safety.
By Conor Burke
DAY 1: FIRST WITNESSES CALLED
“I’m sure if I had taken Bob to the Royal
Adelaide Hospital in the state he was in, I
would have been reported to the police.”
That’s how Oakden whistleblower
Barbara Spriggs recounted the injuries her
late husband sustained at the infamous
facility, as she gave her witness testimony
to the aged care royal commission.
Spriggs was the first witness to be called
at the commission in Adelaide on Day 1,
and at times she became emotional as
she recalled the pain and suffering her
late husband Robert ‘Bob’ Spriggs went
through and the subsequent anguish felt by
her and her children.
Bob was 66 years old when he died
in July 2016, after a battle with many
illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease.
Bob had two short stays at the Oakden
facility in South Australia, one in January
of 2016 and another in February of the
same year, which according to Spriggs’
testimony, caused Bob’s health to decline
dramatically.
Before Spriggs was brought up to
testify, counsel assisting Peter Gray started
proceedings, and as he did so there was a
brief moment where the room went dark.
The light reappeared soon after, perhaps
foreshadowing the revelations to come.
12 agedcareinsite.com.au
In his slow, measured manner, Gray
set out how the next two weeks will run,
saying that these initial hearings will mainly
provide context and background to the
industry and that he does not expect the
commissioners to rule on them.
He told the commission that some of
the 800 public submissions received so
far have been harrowing, and that the
commission is grateful for the bravery of
those people. He told those in attendance
that allegations against specific providers
or individuals are for another time.
Providers slow to respond
From Gray’s opening, we also learnt that
the Department of Health has forwarded
any submissions it received when the
commission was first announced – with
some previously concerned that these may
be lost or not considered.
We also learned that, as of now, only 900
of the 2000 registered providers, and only
79 of the top 100, have responded to the
commission with details of any instances of
substandard care – a fact that will not be
looked kindly upon by the commissioners.
“We will follow up the providers who
have not responded to the request to
ensure it has been received and has been
receiving proper attention,” Gray said. “As
commissioner Briggs noted previously,
providers who do not engage with our
requests draw attention to themselves and
to their practices. They will be subject to
careful scrutiny.”
Spriggs was eventually called to testify
jointly with her son Clive. She used her
time not to dwell on her family’s story, she
told the commission, but to encourage
others to come forward.
Speaking is not easy, she cautioned, but
“speaking out lifted the lid” on the abuse
being committed.
Spriggs spent most of her testimony
outlining her views on the changes
that need to occur in the sector. These
include greater accountability, improved
staffing – training, salaries and ratios – a
database for staff who commit abuse
or have complaints made against them,
CCTV in common areas, and better
end-of-life plans.
View from the peaks
COTA Australia chief executive Ian Yates
spoke for most of the remainder of the
day, covering topics ranging from over-
medication, the difficulties regulators face
catching misdeeds in facilities, to aged care
funding and future improvements.
In his witness statement, Yates told Gray
that when it comes to funding aged care
properly, “we don’t really know whether
… the total amount that providers are
receiving is adequate”.
“And, in that context, what proportion
should be paid for by the government, the
taxpayer, which is, in the end, a subsidy
to our care and in many cases to our
accommodation, and what should be paid
by individuals who have capacity to pay.
And, at the moment, we do not have a
coherent policy about that”.
Using the Home Care Packages system
Levels 1–4 as an example, Yates said that