Aged care watchdog rates Victorian homes where some failed the test
From neglected wounds to staff shortages, the aged care watchdog has exposed Victoria’s most poorly rated facilities. See the full list.
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A resident in a Victorian aged care home had to have a thumb amputated after an injury was neglected and a “wooden beverage stirrer” was used as a splint, a damning report found.
Government inspectors who visited Lyrebird Village for the Aged in Drouin, 90km west of Melbourne, reported that the resident’s pressure injury “was not reviewed by a registered nurse for 12 days”.
After a GP looked at the wound, staff continued to treat the resident with regular wound dressing changes and attempted to splint the thumb with a “padded wooden beverage stirrer”.
It was another month before the resident was sent to hospital where the thumb was amputated.
The aged care watchdog’s findings were published in a report in December 2021, highlighting a range of issues including falls due to staff shortages, and some residents being left in front of the TV all day, or isolated in their rooms.
In July the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission issued a second compliance notice this year on the facility stating it was “considering removing approval for this provider to deliver aged care services”.
Lyrebird Village received just one star in the new government ratings system released last week, along with Bupa Eastwood in Bairnsdale.
The My Aged Care website said both facilities needed significant improvement.
In Victoria, three aged care homes received one star – although updated data now shows just two.
While 43 received two stars, meaning six per cent of the 722 rated aged care homes in the state were sub-par.
Meanwhile, at Bupa Eastwood, the watchdog issued a notice to the facility in August over failings. The notice expired on December 26.
In May the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission found one Bupa Eastwood resident was dressed in just their underwear and their hair unbrushed, while another wore the same clothes because they were not removed in the evening.
Some staff were also criticised for “poor hand hygiene, failing to clean shared equipment after use and incorrect use of personal protective equipment”.
Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) CEO Craig Gear said while the new Star Ratings will empower residents to make informed choices about where they want to live, he had serious concerns for older people living in aged care homes that had received a one-star or two-star rating.
“An urgent improvement plan must be put in place for each of these residential aged care homes,” Mr Gear said.
Respect Aged Care, which runs Lyrebird Village, said its rating was limited by historical non compliances.
Chief executive Jason Binder said under the system, if a site has current or recent non compliances with the Aged Care and Quality Safety Commission, it can only rate one or two stars, despite other areas of care such as resident experience, staffing or quality indicators rating higher.
“This effectively means that, despite positive results in other areas of the review, the score was limited beyond our control,” Mr Binder said.
He said they would continue to work with team members as well as the community to further improve the service.
A Bupa spokeswoman commenting on four Bupa homes across Australia that received a one star rating, said the assessment criteria reflected historic noncompliances.
“We’ve invested significantly in uplifting our quality measures and resident experience and believe we’re well positioned to improve our ratings over coming months,” she said.
“In addition to providing transparency through the new rating system, we need to reflect on how the sector is funded and what needs to be done to ensure we have robust aged care system for the future.”
Eight homes in Victoria received five stars – about one per cent of all Victorian facilities.
They were Riverview Aged Care, Birchip Nursing Home, St Paul’s Hostel for the Elderly, Sheridan Aged Care, Carinya Nursing Home (Frankston Extended Care), Hopetoun Nursing Home, Hopetoun Hostel, and Villa Maria Catholic Homes Justin Villa Aged Care Residence.
To search for an aged care home rating go to: www.myagedcare.gov.au
News Corp reached out for a specific comment about the pressure wound injury but did not receive comment before publication.
One star homes in Victoria:
Lyrebird Village for the Aged
Drouin VIC 3818
Bupa Eastwood
Bairnsdale VIC 3875
Two star aged care homes within 250km of Melbourne:
Mercy Place East Melbourne
East Melbourne VIC 3002
McGregor Gardens Aged Care
Pakenham VIC 3810
Bupa Bendigo
Bendigo VIC 3550
BlueCross Broughtonlea
Surrey Hills VIC 3127
Jewish Care (Vic) Inc. Residential Homes, Windsor
Melbourne VIC 3004
Bentleys Aged Care
East Bendigo VIC 3550
Polish Retirement Home
Bayswater VIC 3153
Cumberland Manor
North Sunshine VIC 3020
Shepparton Aged Care
Shepparton VIC 3630
Lyndoch Hostel
Warrnambool VIC 3280
May Noonan Centre
Terang VIC 3264
Nazareth House Ballarat
Ballarat VIC 3350
Royal Freemasons Bendigo
Kangaroo Flat VIC 3555
Japara Bayview
Carrum Downs VIC 3201
Waranga Health
Rushworth VIC 3612
Royal Freemasons Flora Hill
Bendigo VIC 3550
Corowa District Hospital
Corowa NSW 2646
Geoffrey Cutter Centre
Ballarat VIC 3350
Rowville Manor
Rowville VIC 3178
Village Glen Aged Care Residences – Capel Sound
Rosebud West VIC 3940
The Belmont Residential Aged Care
Belmont VIC 3216
R M McHale Hostel
Tongala VIC 3621
Mercy Place Wyndham
Werribee VIC 3030
Regis Cranbourne
Junction Village VIC 3977
Mercy Place Colac
Colac VIC 3250
Bupa Echuca
Echuca VIC 3564
Whittlesea Lodge
Whittlesea VIC 3757
Castlemaine Health
Castlemaine VIC 3450
The Alexander Aged Care Centre
Clayton VIC 3168
Rosary Home
Keilor Downs VIC 3038
Royal Freemasons Sale
Sale VIC 3850
Mercy Place Montrose
Montrose VIC 3765
Cooinda Lodge Nursing Home
Warragul VIC 3820
Ashleigh House Hostel
Sale VIC 3850
Mercy Place Rice Village
Marshall VIC 3216
Rangeview Private Nursing Home
Wangaratta VIC 3677
Hillview Bunyip Aged Care Inc
Bunyip VIC 3815
Embracia Moonee Valley
Avondale Heights VIC 3034
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Originally published as Aged care watchdog rates Victorian homes where some failed the test
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