At Whiddon, we are committed to acting with honesty, integrity and transparency.
We can confirm that a former employee who worked at the aged care home now known as Whiddon Maclean Mareeba has been charged following an NSW Police investigation. The matter is now before the courts.
We understand this news may be concerning for residents, families, employees and the broader Whiddon community, and we want to share the information we are able to provide at this time.
The charges relate to the alleged sexual assault of a resident between November 2023 and February 2024. Based on the information currently available to us, we believe this to be an isolated incident. Importantly, there is no information to suggest any connection to other Whiddon homes, residents or employees across our network in NSW and Southeast Queensland.
The alleged actions are completely contrary to Whiddon’s values and to the standards of care, dignity and respect we expect for every resident. The safety, wellbeing and quality of care of our residents remain our highest priorities.
While the alleged incident is reported to have occurred before Whiddon acquired and commenced operating the Maclean Mareeba home, we have commenced our own review to ensure our safeguards, recruitment practices and procedures remain robust and continue to support the safety and wellbeing of residents.
Whiddon maintains rigorous recruitment, screening and compliance processes, including mandatory police checks, background screening and ongoing workforce monitoring, to help uphold the highest standards of care and safety.
We are deeply concerned by these allegations and remain unwavering in our commitment to providing safe, respectful and high-quality care for every resident.
We thank our residents, families and communities for their continued trust. If you have any questions or concerns, contact us on 1300 738 388 or hello@whiddon.com.au.