Royal Commission into aged care: Four in five public submissions raise concerns about quality of aged care

An overwhelming number of public submissions to the Royal Commission into aged care have raised concerns about the quality of care in residential facilities — as the first hearing gets underway in Adelaide.

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Four in five public submissions to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety have raised concerns about the quality of care in residential facilities, Senior Counsel Assisting Peter Gray says.

Mr Gray told a preliminary hearing of the Royal Commission on Friday morning that 54 per cent of those submissions raised issues with unsafe care, while 59 per cent raised concerns about staffing ratios.

“A significant number of these responses highlight what is regarded as substandard or unsafe aged care services,” Mr Gray said.

“Also significant are concerns about aged care for people with dementia, the importance of person-centred aged care services, end of life care, medication management, nutrition, and the sustainability of aged care services.”

Of the 1982 aged care providers asked to make submissions to the Royal Commission, 83 have responded so far on behalf of about 2000 services, Mr Gray said.

He said responses continued to come in but incidents reported to the Royal Commission so far included elder abuse, medication mismanagement, overuse of psychotropic medication, food safety and inadequate wound management.

Commissioner Lynelle Briggs said those responses by aged care providers would not be published individually, but said the Commission may make aggregated data public.

She said providers had not been compelled to provide responses at this stage, but said providers who did not engage with the Royal Commission “draw attention to themselves and their practices”.

She said there had been a “rising torrent” of concern about aged care.

“We recognise that the sector engages thousands of dedicated people who provide quality and compassionate aged care services every day, often in difficult circumstances, whose work is complemented by the important contributions of families and volunteers,” she said.

“But there has been a rising torrent of concern that the aged care system is faltering in certain areas off safety and quality and that it may not be fit for purpose.”

Commissioner Richard Tracey said he expected many approved aged care providers to waive any confidentiality or contractual clauses that would otherwise prevent their employees from providing evidence to the Royal Commission.

“We would be gravely concerned if any operators in the aged care sector or government bodies were to instruct their staff not to talk to the Royal Commission or to withhold information from us,” he said.

He reminded providers it would be unlawful to take punitive action against an employee or former employee who had assisted the Royal Commission, or from preventing them from doing so.

Commissioner Tracy said the “hallmark of a civilised society is how it treats our most vulnerable people”.

“And out elderly are often amongst our most physically, emotionally and financially vulnerable,” he said.

“Frail and elderly members of our community deserve to, and should, be looked after in the best possible way and we intend to do our best to see that it happens”.

A week of hearings will commence in Adelaide from February 11, with hearings to be held around the country.

The Royal Commission will also include roundtable discussions and visits to aged care services.

It comes after five South Australian aged care homes were sanctioned and 13 more served with noncompliance notices for failing to meet care and behaviour management standards, The Advertis e r reported on Thursday.

Advocates say the numbers will rise further because of the introduction of unannounced accreditation visits, while the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality Safety, which began in Adelaide on Friday, may well uncover more problems.

Two of the homes hit with sanctions, UnitingSA’s Hawksbury Gardens at Salisbury North and Eldercare’s Allambi at Glengowrie, had measures imposed in the past month and told residents and families at meetings last week.

Kensington Gardens-based provider Home Nursing Solutions was sanctioned in November, while The Advertiser has previously reported on sanctions imposed on Minda’s North Brighton nursing home and Assist HomeCare’s Toorak Gardens centre.