A Springwood nursing home is at the centre of an ongoing investigation by health authorities after 10 of its elderly residents died in the space of three weeks during a gastroenteritis outbreak.

Eighty-three residents of Endeavour Residential Aged Care Nursing Home were stricken with diarrhoea and other painful symptoms late last month.

The revelations surfaced in a NSW Health report released last Friday and has sparked enquiries into the origin of the outbreak by the department, NSW Food Authority and Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

However acting deputy chief health officer for NSW Health, Jeremy McAnulty, said the 10 residents had died from “a variety of apparently unrelated conditions”, and that only some had experienced mild diarrhoea.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma joined the department in hosing down suggestions the deaths and illness were linked, saying some of the deceased residents may not have been afflicted with the bug.

While the cause of the outbreak remains a mystery, health authorities believe a food-borne illness may be to blame.

Two inspections of the nursing home by the NSW Food Authority have found no breach of protocols and further risk of large-scale illness is considered to be low.

But Blue Mountains MP Phil Koperberg stressed all precautions, including another inspection of food handling procedures, were being undertaken to protect residents.

An officer from the authority visited the nursing home over the weekend to oversee meal preparation and scrutinise the kitchen’s food handling records.

Federal Member for Macquarie, Bob Debus, said nursing officers from the Department of Health and Ageing and an independent nursing home standards body had also looked over the home to ensure residents were receiving appropriate care.

Helen Jones, general manager of Principal Aged Care which owns and operates Endeavour, told the Gazette the NSW Food Authority had visited the facility on four separate occasions and found “nothing untoward, unhygienic or below standard”.

She said her organisation was working with numerous agencies to get to the bottom of the matter.

“I feel quite strongly that the care and service provided by our colleagues at Endeavour is first-class. Outbreaks are unfortunately common and because the residents are quite frail, they’re vulnerable,” she told the Gazette.

“We’ve had tremendous support from families of residents . . . they say they’re very happy with our service and staff.

“For us, looking after our residents is what we do every day — that hasn’t changed. Endeavour has been in Springwood a long time and we really value our role in the community.”