Authorities act on Toowoomba aged care complaints

AUTHORITIES have sprung into action following complaints of poor care and understaffing at a Toowoomba aged care facility.

TriCare Toowoomba in Curzon Street, East Toowoomba. Photo: Bev Lacey/The Chronicle

AUTHORITIES have sprung into action following complaints of poor care and understaffing at a Toowoomba aged care facility.

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said in a statement to The Chronicle the Commission conducted an "unannounced monitoring visit" at TriCare Toowoomba Aged Care residence on Wednesday, August 5, "as a result of recent intelligence received".

"Once a decision is made on the service's compliance with the Aged Care Quality Standards and procedural fairness requirements have been applied (which requires two to three weeks), the Commission will publish a performance report on its website," Ms Anderson said.

Groom MP Dr John McVeigh recently forwarded two complaints about TriCare Toowoomba to the ACQSC and Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck.

The controversy involving the facility began last week when a resident, who The Chronicle has not named, tweeted about the conditions she observed inside the facility.

The tweet read: "Cries of pain unanswered, buzzers chiming … unanswered, ambo's turning up for injured only to go away empty because … family wishes. Food that is barely edible. Sheets not changed. Showers a luxury. This is my punishment".

The resident was later transferred to Toowoomba Hospital.

The Queensland Nursing and Midwives Union was advised by staff at the facility the resident was removed because of the content of her tweet, while TriCare director Peter O'Shea said there was mutual agreement between TriCare, the resident, and hospital representatives that she be transferred to Toowoomba Hospital.

QNMU regional organiser Jennifer Ballantyne told The Chronicle on Thursday the case highlighted "dangerous understaffing" at TriCare's Toowoomba facility.

The QNMU was notified by TriCare of over 500 nursing hours being cut from the roster on July 1.

Mr O'Shea denied there was any understaffing at any TriCare aged care facilities and said: "Staffing at all our aged care residences is determined by occupancy, resident needs and ensuring the appropriate mix of staff over the 24 hour period".

Ms Anderson said the Commission's role was to hold providers to account for the quality and safety of the care they provided to older Australians, and to ensure that care delivered complied with the Aged Care Act.

"Standard 6 of the Aged Care Quality Standards requires aged care services to demonstrate that they encourage and support consumers, their family, friends, carers and others to provide feedback and make complaints, and that services use this input to inform continuous improvements for individual consumers and the whole organisation," Ms Anderson said.

"The Commission takes very seriously any allegations that a service is discouraging its residents from making a complaint to the Commission or taking any action against someone that may make a complaint.

"Any information and intelligence of this nature or that raises questions about the quality and safety of an aged care service is used by the Commission to inform decisions about our regulatory responses and activities."

Ms Anderson said anyone with a concern about an aged care service could make a complaint to the Commission via www.agedcarequality.gov.au or by calling 1800 951 822.

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