Kiandra Residential Aged Care home at Prospect sanctioned for failing inspection criteria

The daughter of an 87-year-old woman who died in a private nursing home wants a coronial inquest, following a surprise audit that found the home failed many standards.

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The daughter of an 87-year-old woman who died in a private nursing home hopes a surprise audit that raised “serious concerns” about the treatment of residents there will prompt a coronial inquest into her mother’s death.

The federal Health Department found there was “an immediate and severe risk” to residents of the Kiandra Residential Aged Care home at Prospect.

Sanctions were imposed for not meeting standards in pain management, nutrition, hydration, skin care and specialist nursing care.

Additional “failures” in other areas included clinical care, infection control, staff education, rehabilitation and occupational health and safety.

It is understood the home met only 21 out of 44 inspection criteria.

Susan Willimott’s mother Betty Willimott was a resident of Kiandra before she died in December 2017.

Betty Willimott was a resident of Kiandra before she died in December 2017. Her daughter Susan is lobbying the State Coroner to open an inquest into her mother’s death.

Ms Willimott held serious concerns over the way staff treated a festering wound on her mother’s leg and believes a care program was not adhered to at the home.

She told The Advertiser she had long called for an unannounced inspection, arguing that the normally scheduled visits enabled staff to prepare.

“Every time they knew someone was coming there, everything would be fixed up.”

Ms Willimott, 68, said she was still lobbying the State Coroner to open an inquest into her mother’s death and believed the audit findings bolstered her case.

“It is our only hope to find out what happened to mum,” she said. “I need to know.”

A spokeswoman for the home, run by the Rosha Group, said it was “assisting” the Coroner on a “matter involving a former resident”.

In a written statement, she said management was working “to immediately address concerns and restore compliance” following the audit.

The statement said staff had reviewed “all care provision, staffing and record-keeping”.

Inspectors visited the 50-bed home in March and sanctions were imposed last month, which mean it is not receiving federal funding to take on new residents. Management has six months to improve and has had to appoint an external administrator and adviser.

Kiandra management would not answer further questions about what it will do to address the specific concerns raised or what conditions may have changed in the home from an earlier scheduled audit which raised no concerns.

The federal My Aged Care website shows six South Australian homes under sanctions.