How Denise Morgan escaped Melbourne’s house of horrors


When authorities investigated Hambleton House, a home in Albert Park for people with disabilities and mental illness, after 15 of the 28 residents tested positive for COVID-19, state health department officials found uncapped needles, mattresses stained with bodily fluids, broken windows and spoilt food.

An embarrassed state government moved quickly to close the facility, relocate residents and revoke the registration of the proprietor, Shani Abeywickrema. This was the “strongest sanction possible” at the time, according to a department spokesman.

But in a confidential report, seen by The Age, disability watchdog the Office of the Public Advocate, slams the department for not taking effective action until the outbreak, saying it had raised “serious concerns” about Hambleton House for three years.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/how-denise-morgan-escaped-melbourne-s-house-of-horrors-20210920-p58t25.html

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