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The Royal Commission on Elderly Care has heard about the need for a national database to monitor older workers.
Clive Spriggs, whose father, Bob, was abused and over-treated in Adelaide's infamous nursing home in Adelaide, urged the database.
In his testimony to the commission, Mr. Spriggs stated that there must be a way to lift red flags against abusive, careless or incompetent personnel in order to prevent him from simply moving between institutions or between States.
As testimony on Monday, Commonwealth Health Department Secretary Glenys Beauchamp said: "Personally, I think it's useful to have information about the expertise, knowledge and quality of carers ".
"It's an aspect we will look at as a government in the context of a workforce strategy," she said.
"It is proposed to use it in the area of disability and, if you look at the workers in the care of the person, you probably have similar expertise.
"It would be interesting to see if we could combine our efforts on the side of people with disabilities and care for the elderly."
In his brief, Mr. Spriggs stated that while the Oakden staff and management had lost their jobs, he was wondering if they were still working in the senior care sector.
"Are they in another state, will they repeat what they did to someone else?" he said.
"There must be a mark on their name in the system."
Mr. Spriggs and his mother Barb also called for greater use of CCTV cameras in residential care facilities, including making them mandatory in public places.
But Beauchamp said the camera issue was more controversial.
"I think it would take a lot of consultation both with the beneficiary families and with the service providers to implement CCTV," she said.
Cameras have been suggested as a better way to track serious incidents. The Commission reported that 3,773 reportable badaults took place in seniors' care facilities in 2017-2018, which represented between 1% and 2% of all institutionalized cases.
But this number did not include some resident attacks on other residents in circumstances where mental disability was a problem.
Beauchamp said the government plans to include such incidents in future reporting requirements and that advice will soon be given to the government.
"With regard to under-reporting, we need to be alert to both allegations and suspicions of aggression against the government, providers and certainly families and caregivers," she said.
The Royal Commission investigates both the quality and safety of institutional and home care across the country.
He will remain in Adelaide for the remainder of the week, but will also gather testimony at new hearings scheduled for interstate capitals and regional centers.
It has already received 800 public submissions and responses from approximately 900 of the 2,000 licensed elderly care providers in Australia.
Australian Associated Press
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