Royal commission exposes squalor inside Hambleton House in Melbourne’s Albert Park

A royal commission has exposed the shocking squalor inside a Melbourne home for people with a disability including photos of bed bugs, blood-stained mattresses and dirty floors.

Hambleton House, in Albert Park, was surrounded by multimillion-dollar real estate but a former resident described it as the most awful place she had ever lived.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Shock photos of squalid conditions at home for the disabled

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The privately-owned home was put into administration by the Victorian Government after a COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 exposed the conditions inside the facility.

On Thursday, photos from inside Hambleton House were presented to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.

The images include mattresses stained with blood and dirty sheets and pillows.

In pre-recorded evidence, former Hambleton House resident Denise said her room was “tiny” and she did not feel safe there.

“(Most) awful place I’ve ever been to in my life. Real nasty,” she said.

In 2020, residents were evacuated from the privately-owned home due to a COVID-19 outbreak and another aged care provider, Wintringham, was brought in to try to help residents, including Denise, access other services.

“Our staff have described exactly, as the lady has described, the state of the room: It was like a room under a staircase,” Wintringham home support general manager Kate Rice told the royal commission.

After the Victorian Government shut down Hambleton House, residents were initially moved to an empty backpackers hostel.

Wintringham then took on the challenging task of finding new accommodation in just 12 weeks.

Staff had to explain to residents that some belongings could not go with them as a lot of the mattresses had bed bugs.

The commissioners are investigating whether place such as Hambleton House can provide adequate care.