The AMA has called for an urgent audit of Australia’s aged care sector to prevent a repeat of the coronavirus outbreaks that have spread through Victorian homes.

The pandemic has exposed deficiencies in the nation’s aged care system that has resulted in preventable deaths, the AMA says.

In a submission to the Royal Commission on Aged Care Quality and Safety, the AMA demands that every residential aged-care home be “urgently and comprehensively assessed” for its ability to care for residents during the pandemic.

President Dr Omar Khorshid said hundreds of elderly Australians had died “needlessly, and without family by their side”.