A senior manager of a Melbourne aged care home initially refused to act on video footage of elder abuse for a month due to the Christmas break, the aged care royal commission has heard.

Key points: Sandra Nisi set up a hidden camera in her father's room after he complained about his treatment

Sandra Nisi set up a hidden camera in her father's room after he complained about his treatment When she complained to the home, a manager seemed more concerned about the camera than the alleged abuse

When she complained to the home, a manager seemed more concerned about the camera than the alleged abuse The inquiry heard the home relied heavily on casual workers due to a staff shortage

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was also told the manager complained that the footage shot in the Greenway Gardens facility was "illegal" and that a notice was later put up telling others not to set up cameras without permission.

Sandra Nisi told the royal commission she set up a hidden camera in her father's room last year after he started to complain about staff abusing him at the home in Heathmont, in Melbourne's east.

UG, as he has been called, was 85 years old and suffering from Parkinson's disease and dementia.

Ms Nisi said the footage, which was not played to the royal commission, showed staff throwing UG's legs onto the bed and telling him to "stop shaking", despite his Parkinson's disease causing the tremors.

The royal commission was told of other footage captured in November last year which showed UG collapsing and being unresponsive as a staff member tried to get him out of bed with a lifting machine.

Sandra Nisi (left) and her sister Christine Lynch gave evidence about their father's treatment. ( Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety )

The staff member "tapped his face" and "called his name" before putting UG back into bed for the entire day when staff again unsuccessfully tried to rouse him, the hearing was told.

The incident was not reported to family or to doctors.

Weeks earlier UG had suffered a small stroke, called a transient ischaemic attack, and had been placed in palliative care.

He died days later.

'You're breaking the law'

Another daughter, Christine Lynch, told the royal commission when she complained to the then-chief group operations manager Brendan Coulton, he responded that the footage was "illegal".

She recalled him stating: "You're breaking the law by using that camera".

He then told her he would look into the matter in January.

Brendan Coulton said he told the company's directors about the footage. ( Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety )

"It's December 14 and you've got to understand that we need a break for Christmas," Ms Lynch recalled him saying.

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"On January 15, we're going to come back and then we will look into this."

Mr Coulton accepted the family's criticism that he seemed to care more about the hidden camera than the actual abuse.

"The concerns that I did have were around the privacy laws and how that might play out around confidentiality," Mr Coulton told the royal commission.

"I did, in my very first sentence back to the family in correspondence, say sorry."

He said he did report the matter to the directors of Menarock Life, the company that owned the facility.

Footage too 'distressing' for to watch

The royal commission heard the nursing home was suffering from staff shortages during a company restructure.

UG's daughters said he would often not be fed as staff refused to help him eat, despite his tremors and shaking.

He would go unshaved for days and once he was found with deep cuts on his face and neck.

The former director of nursing, Yvonne Henderson, said she had to rely on casual workers to fill in gaps in the roster.

Yvonne Henderson said she could not bring herself to watch all of the footage. ( Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety )

She was also shown the footage of UG's treatment last year, and told the royal commission she could not watch it all as it was too "distressing".

She told the royal commission she also took the matter to Mr Coulton.

"I was told we do nothing," Ms Henderson said.

"[I was told] head office will handle it. We can't report it because these people have been filmed without their knowledge and without their permission."

A message was then put on the notice board telling anyone who wanted to put a camera in a "loved one's room" to "enter an agreement with the facility", Ms Henderson said.

A director of Menarock Life, Craig Holland, said the evidence about staff shortages was "concerning".

"We did have a problem at Greenway Gardens in relation to our high casual staff usage," he said.

Greenway Gardens has been sanctioned by the Federal Government and cannot take on new residents.

Manarock Life had a net profit of $6 million last year.