Following the 5pm Thursday deadline issued by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC), Anglicare has appointed Andrew Kinkade as an external adviser to support the operator to meet its regulatory obligations during the COVID-19 outbreak at Newmarch House.
The General Manager of Residential Care at Catholic Healthcare, Andrew was previously the COO and General Manager NSW at National Home Doctor Service (NHDS). A Chartered Accountant and Solicitor, he has also worked at Macquarie in investment banking and private equity in Sydney – where he was an assets manager for Regis – and London.
In a statement, Anglicare said Andrew “has a track record of managing complex situations and delivering high quality care. It is this background that gives him an understanding of the support that is needed at Newmarch House.”
His appointment will be for three months – and will not extend to any other Anglicare home.
“We are very pleased to have Andrew as an adviser at this extremely difficult time,” CEO Grant Millard, said. “His skills and advice are appreciated.”
Despite the ACQSC’s threat to remove Anglicare’s license to operate Newmarch if they did not comply with the directive, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has voiced his approval for Australia’s aged care homes, saying they were performing much better than those in other countries.
“What’s happening in Newmarch, I know was very upsetting,” he said.
“But when you think about the fact, we’ve got 2,700 aged care facilities around the country and we’ve had issues in about only 23 of them and severe issues in only a couple.”
Newmarch House had a total of 68 confirmed cases of COVID-19 – 31 staff and 37 residents.
Three more staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 36 hours and are now in self-isolation.
Anglicare says the positive results were uncovered during their testing of all staff at the home, which is now being conducted every second day.
