'She's delusional': Son slams premier over mum's care in virus cluster

The son of a 76-year-old resident at the ill-fated Newmarch House in Sydney’s west has slammed NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian over the handling of the coronavirus cluster at the aged care facility.

Anthony Bowe’s mother is one of 37 residents at the nursing home to have tested positive to the virus.

On Tuesday, the 16th resident at the facility died from the virus.

A frustrated Mr Bowe described residents at the facility as “sitting ducks”, lambasting the lack of transparency and inaction over the largest source of COVID-19 deaths in NSW.

Appearing on Channel Nine’s Today show on Wednesday, he called out Ms Berejkilian over claims everything is being done to ensure the wellbeing of the facilities residents.

“She’s delusional,” he said.

“There's some serious issues regarding end of life plans. There's some serious issues regarding a myriad of things and no-one has been down to address them.

“The fact that she thinks they're getting the best care is not even close. How can you check someone's chest from behind a computer in your living room?

“I mean, doctors aren't even in the room with a patient. It's horrible.”

He said he has only had face-to-face contact with the facility’s operator Anglicare once, and had not heard personally from the health department.

Mr Bowe said he believed there were residents inside the facility that require medical attention at hospital but said they weren’t allowed to leave the home.

“Apparently if you're on the Ruby Princess, you get five-star treatment in a motel to quarantine, but apparently if you're elderly in this country, you get nothing,” he said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the health department said some residents were allowed to leave for hospital treatment.

"Residents continue to have the choice of being cared for in the facility through hospital-in-the-home or being treated in Nepean Hospital depending on their advanced care directive and their own personal wishes," it said.

Staff’s role questioned in virus spread

Three staff members were confirmed to have contracted the virus on Tuesday as the facility ramps up testing.

The nursing home is conducting daily testing of all employees before they begin their shifts. NSW Health says 94 staff were tested on Monday.

Nearly 30 staff members have tested positive so far.

The cluster began at the facility near Penrith when a staff member worked six shifts while showing mild coronavirus symptoms.

On Monday, a member of staff was at the centre of a breach in relation to personal protective equipment inside the facility, which is now under investigation.

NSW's Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant admitted there were difficulties with PPE for workers.

"It's quite challenging to wear full [PPE] and interact with patients," she said.

"It's not a controlled environment… in the end we want care and compassion for those [residents]."

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