THE Federal Government is taking action against a retirement village on the New South Wales Central Coast where two sexual assaults on elderly residents were reported recently.

Two workers at the Peninsula Village Retirement Centre at Umina have reportedly been sacked after investigations into allegations made earlier this month.

Federal Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot says the Department of Health and Ageing has issued the centre a formal Notice of Non-Compliance.

The notice relates to the failure to report an alleged assault, the employment of staff without proper police checks, and providing misleading information in regard to police checks, Mrs Elliott said.

The nursing home had 14 days to respond to the notice, and an inadequate response may lead to sanctions, she said.

NSW police were investigating the alleged assaults, Mrs Elliot said.

On October 22, during an unannounced visit by the Department of Health and Ageing's Complaints Investigation Scheme, officers discovered that Peninsula Village had failed to report an assault within the required 24 hours.

Two days later, the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency identified nine staff whose police checks had expired.

Those staff had now been stood down by the nursing home, Mrs Elliot said.

"Police checks are important. They are about protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, the frail and aged,'' she said.

Peninsula Village Retirement Centre is a 263-resident facility with 96 high-care and 167 low-care places.

Last week, Mrs Elliot asked the independent Aged Care Commissioner, Rhonda Parker, to personally examine the department's handling of previous complaints at Peninsula Village Retirement Centre.

A local newspaper reports that the centre has sacked two employees who allegedly sexually assaulted women in their care.

The Central Coast Sun Weekly says the centre's care manager, Melissa Dempsey, confirmed two staff were sacked because of the alleged assaults.

She said it was the first time sexual assault had been reported at the centre.

Source: The Australian