Audit reveals problems with Grevillea Gardens nursing home

Serious incidents went unreported, fearful residents were forced to lock themselves in their rooms, and staff were threatened with a knife in a litany of disturbing events uncovered during a federal audit of a popular regional nursing home.

Residents brandishing knives at staff and verbally abusing their neighbours were among several problems found at Blue Care’s Gympie Grevillea Gardens nursing home during its first federal audit since Covid.

The audit found the facility failed to comply in three of eight categories relating to care, service environment, and governance.

The result was a drop for the centre, which was found to be fully compliant during its last audit in August 2020.

Blue Care apologised to its staff and residents for not meeting some of the standards, in a statement to The Gympie Times.

“We regret these findings and sincerely apologise to residents and their families that their home did not meet some of the quality standards,” the spokeswoman said.

“We aim to provide the care and environment our residents and their families rightly expect and deserve.”

The latest audit found three separate incidents in which one resident had access to a knife, for cutting food, and pointed the blade at staff during disagreements.

A new federal government audit of Gympie’s Grevillea Gardens Aged Care centre has revealed the nursing home failed to comply in several areas.

That resident was moved to a memory support unit, where steak knives were seen “easily accessible in an open drawer”.

Other instances of residents’ misbehaviour were “ongoing and … well-known”.

One resident was forced to lock their door to keep another out of their room, with the latter banging loudly on the locked door and reports they had pushed dining room furniture towards that resident.

The resident had stopped using the dining room as a result of the ongoing behaviour.

A second resident said another neighbour “regularly intrudes their room, causing them significant distress” and “had previously tried to climb in their bed”.

The audit found the centre failed to report serious incidents involving verbally abusive behaviour by residents toward each other, and one complaint of a staff member doing the same to a resident.

A Blue Care spokeswoman apologised to residents and their families for the audit’s findings, and said it was acting “swiftly and comprehensively” to improve the centre’s standard of care.

“Each of these incidents were not reported as per … requirements,” the report said.

The centre said these had happened before new management took over, the report said.

The Blue Care spokeswoman said it was working to address the problems raised by the audit.

“The health and wellbeing of our residents is at the heart of our service philosophy, and we are taking this matter seriously,” she said.

“We have acted swiftly and comprehensively to improve the standard of care at Grevillea Gardens Gympie.

“Grevillea Gardens Gympie’s accreditation remains in place.

“Improvement actions are well progressed and we are determined to ensure that care standards at Grevillea Gardens Gympie not only meet but exceed the expectations of our residents and their families.

“We are working openly and transparently with the ACQSC, the Department of Health, our residents and their families to complete improvements at the site.”

While the centre fell short in these areas, it was found to be compliant with those covering for consumer dignity and choice, ongoing assessment and planning with consumers, services and support for daily living, feedback and complaints, and human resourcing.

The audit’s findings in these areas included that the centre’s residents said “staff respect them” and “maintain their privacy”.

“Overall (residents) and representatives said consumers receive personal and clinical care they need,” the report said.

In terms of feedback and complaints residents “said their concerns are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner, and described actions taken by the service, including that an apology is provided”.

Grevillea Gardens was one of two aged care services in the region to be fully audited in 2022.

Meals on Wheels was found to be fully compliant in all categories.