A Melbourne aged care facility has been penalised after a tragic incident resulted in the death of a resident.
Blue Cross Glenroy, part of Blue Cross Community Care Services, has been fined $66,000 by the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court in Victoria for failing to address critical safety risks that led to the death of a 90-year-old man.
The case revolves around an incident from 2021, when the elderly resident, who was bedridden and unable to walk, suffered severe burns from a wall-mounted hydronic heater in his private room.
The heater, situated directly across from his bed, was left unshielded, leading to prolonged contact with the resident’s feet.
The burns were initially treated with in-home care due to the facility’s COVID-19 status, which prevented immediate hospital admission. Despite initial treatment efforts, the condition of the burns worsened significantly over the following weeks.
By November, the resident required amputations of four toes on his left foot and a skin graft on his right foot. Unfortunately, complications from the burns ultimately led to his death from sepsis in March 2022.
The case highlights the ongoing risks associated with hydronic heaters in aged care settings. WorkSafe Victoria had previously issued an improvement notice in December 2021, addressing the hazards presented by these heaters.
Despite prior warnings and industry advisories about the potential dangers, Blue Cross Glenroy failed to implement adequate measures to mitigate the risks.
The facility had 90 such heaters installed in residents’ rooms, and the court found that the organisation had not sufficiently addressed the risk of burns, which had been well-documented in safety guidelines.
Blue Cross Community Care Services admitted guilt to a single charge of failing to adequately manage safety risks.
The court’s decision to impose a fine of $66,000 without a conviction reflects a partial mitigation of the potential penalty, which could have been as high as $200,000 had the company contested the charge.
