Aug 27, 2026 – 12.47pmThe country’s biggest age care provider is accused of breaching new Albanese government requirements by counting folding towels and scraping food off plates as patient care in a test case that could serve as a warning for other providers.The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association launched Federal Court action against Opal Healthcare on Wednesday, alleging the private equity-backed provider misclassified laundry and kitchen tasks to reach its mandatory 215 minutes of direct care per patient per day across more than 50 centres in the state.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
Should washing up count as aged care? Lawsuit could set new standard
A Federal Court case will test what counts as direct care under Labor’s new aged care minimums, raising the possibility of hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
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