An aged care company in Melbourne has been fined $66,000 (US$43,000) after one of its residents died from burns.
On Aug. 6, Broadmeadows Magistrates Court issued a fine to Bluecross Community Care Services Group Pty Ltd after finding that the company failed to reduce or eliminate the risk of serious injury for clients.
According to court documents, a 90-year-old man living in a Bluecross’s care centre in the suburb of Glenroy died after suffering burns from a wall-mounted heater in his private bedroom in 2021.
It was reported that the man rested his feet against the heater for some time after an unwitnessed fall, causing him to suffer burns on both feet.
The man was later transferred to Royal Melbourne Hospital, but the hospital declined to accept him due to the COVID-19 status of his aged care centre.
The hospital then offered him with in-home treatment. However, the man’s condition worsened in the following weeks.
By November 2021, four of his toes on the left foot were amputated, while his right foot underwent a skin graft.
The man finally passed away in March 2022 due to sepsis complications, a medical condition where the immune system of a patient has a severe response to an infection.
After the incident, WorkSafe Victoria issued an improvement notice to Bluecross in December 2021 regarding the risk of hydronic heaters.
“There was a risk of serious injury, being burns, arising from residents coming into prolonged contact with hydronic wall heaters in resident’s rooms,” WorkSafe said.
“There were 90 hydronic heaters located in residents’ rooms at the workplace. The offender knew or ought to have known the risk to its residents.”
In May 2022, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) issued a warning about the risks of hydronic heaters and advised aged care providers to review their facilities to address issues with hydronic heaters.
At the court, BlueCross pleaded guilty to the offence and was ordered to pay a $66,000 fine and costs of $4,132.
Had it not pleaded guilty, the company would have been sentenced, with conviction, to a $200,000 fine.
Bluecross has a vast network of 53 aged care centres in Victoria.
The company became part of Opal HealthCare following a transfer of ownership in June 2024.
