List of NSW aged care providers told to improve by Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

More than a dozen failing aged care services in NSW have been busted by the watchdog. See the full list of their errors.

Failing aged care homes across the state are letting residents suffer in pain, leaving them sitting in their own faeces, not attending to their wounds properly and using drugs to keep them sedated.

In NSW 16 homes are currently under sanctions or special measures after the watchdog’s auditors found they were falling short in multiple areas.

In some cases the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has stopped subsidising new residents at some homes until the quality of care improves.

All on the list have had to agree to extra staff training.

One of the worst offenders is St Basil’s in Lakemba, Western Sydney, which was found to be failing in 40 areas, including leaving unlocked medication trolleys in the hallway, staff not answering residents’ call bells and no proper pain relief for dying residents.

Aged care watchdog reveals failing homes.

Others revealed that the food was “terrible, quality poor, cooked badly” and mostly cold.

Another confessed she didn’t complain because she didn’t want to be on the staff’s “bad list”.

Government assessors heard that at Bupa Waratah in Newcastle, staff spoke disrespectfully to residents when they asked for help, while others said they had to wait for toileting assistance which had “led to incidents impacting on their dignity”.

The assessment team also found one resident had been given psychotropic medications they were not meant to have.

Wounds were not always being treated properly at BaptistCare Orana Centre in Point Clare, on the Central Coast, while some residents were left without pain relief and there were also concerns about the use of chemical restraint.

Residents at Bupa Waratah complained they had to wait for help to go to the toilet.

Inspectors found there was unsupervised smoking and an increase in falls by residents, including one who fell out of bed several times “resulting in bruising and other injuries” at Macleay Valley House in Frederickton, on the north coast.

Meanwhile, there was no proper reporting of incidents, including unexplained bruising at Burrowa House in Boorowa, south west of Sydney.

United Workers Union Director Carolyn Smith said understaffing “continues to be a grave threat to the wellbeing and safety of aged care residents in aged care facilities generally”.

“The problems facing residents are even greater in those facilities – both for-profit and not-for-profit – that run on shoestring budgets, cutting costs even further with skeleton staffing, appalling food and under-resourcing care essentials such as linen.

United Workers Union director Carolyn Smith. Supplied

“Aged care workers are the first to call for improved training in their workplaces, and are sick of being asked to fulfil responsibilities they are not trained for.”

Aged Care Crisis spokesman Lynda Saltarelli said what some elderly people were enduring inside some of these homes was heartbreaking.

“Nothing has changed before or since the Royal Commission,” Ms Saltarelli said.

“Aged care in this country is an illusion.”

A spokesman for BaptistCare said it acknowledged highly challenging circumstances, including Covid and workforce shortages contributed significantly to its ability to deliver.

AnglicanCare McIntosh Court in Lake Macquarie said in a letter to families it was “disappointed” at the outcome and “working tirelessly to return the service to compliance and improve residents’ experience”.

At Murravale Aged Care Facility in the Upper Hunter, manager Sarah Wright said they had taken the measure as an opportunity to improve care and they were making “significant headway”.

“The commission is very happy with us. We are going good,” she said.

A Mercy Place Albury spokesman said substantial progress had been made.

“The commission has expressed that the work done to date by Mercy Health is very pleasing,” the spokesman said.

A spokesman for Uniting Springwood in the Blue Mountains said it was “committed to improving practices and is working with the Commission to resolve all identified issues”.

Rose Mumbler Village chairwoman Sharon Bloxsome said management was working closely with the commission “to ensure these issues are rectified”.

SEE THE FULL LIST

NSW

Anglican Care McIntosh Court, Toronto Road BOORAGUL NSW 2284

Notice to Agree: 23 September, 2022 to 23 January, 2022

What they have to do: Hire an adviser for at least four months to train staff in best practice care and management of care recipients concerning behavioural incidents; assessment and planning processes regarding referral to behaviour and dementia specialist services; and serious incident response scheme obligations.

BaptistCare Orana Centre, 193-201 Brisbane Water Drive POINT CLARE NSW 2250

Notice to Agree: 10 June, 2022 to 10 February 2023

What they have to do: Hire an adviser for at least sight months to train staff in safe and effective clinical care and personal care including wound management, escalation/reporting of deteriorating care recipients, pain management, and skin/pressure area care.

Bupa Waratah, 219 Christo Road WARATAH NSW 2298

Sanction: Not eligible to receive subsidies for three months.

11 July 2022 to 11 January 2023.

What they have to do: To hire an adviser for six months to train staff in care planning, assessment and review; wound and pressure injury management; pain management; behaviour management; and weight loss management.

Burrowa House, 79 FordStreet BOOROWA NSW 2586

Sanction: Not eligible to receive Commonwealth subsidies for any new residents for four months.

1 September, 2022 to 28 February, 2023.

What they have to do: To hire an adviser for at least six months to train staff in safe and effective clinical care and personal care relating to clinical monitoring, assessment and planning, and clinical deterioration; management of high-impact and high-prevalence risks; palliative care; medication management; skin integrity including pressure area care; workforce.

Elizabeth Lodge Hostel, 79 Mt Pleasant Ave NORMANHURST NSW 2076

Notice to Agree: 26 August to 26 December, 2022.

What they have to do: Hire an adviser for at least four months to train staff in care planning, assessment and documentation; wound management; pain management; restrictive practices; behavioural management; management of care recipient weight loss; clinical deterioration; palliative/end of life care; infection control; and clinical and organisational governance systems.

Indochinese Aged Care Services, 680 Cabramatta Road BONNYRIGG NSW 2177

Notice to Agree: 23 June, 2022 to 23 December, 2022

What they have to do: Hire an adviser for at least six months to train staff in governance and workforce management; safe and effective clinical care and personal care including skin integrity, pain management, diabetic management, percutaneous enteral gastrostomy (PEG) management, unexplained bruising, restrictive practice, falls management, medication management, incident management, infection control, service environment.

Macleay Valley House, 94 Macleay Street FREDERICKTON NSW 2440

Sanction: Not eligible to receive Commonwealth subsidies for any new residents for three months.

April 22, 2022 to 22 October, 2022

What they need to do: Hire an adviserfor at least six months to train staff in care planning and documentation, assessment and review processes, pain management, falls management, behaviour management, clinical monitoring and response to clinical deterioration, incident and risk management including SIRS compliance, restrictive practices, staffing levels and appropriate skill mix for care recipient acuity and clinical oversight and governance.

Mercy Place Albury, 578 Poole Street ALBURY NSW 2640

Notice to Agree: 13 July, 2022 to 14 November, 2022

What they need to do: Hire an adviser for four months to train staff in clinical assessment and planning following deterioration/change/incident.

Moyne Aged Care Plus Centre 1, 161 Nangar Road CANOWINDRA NSW 2804

Notice to Agree: 19 August, 2022 to 20 December, 2022

What they need to do: Hire an adviser for at least four months to train staff in safe and effective personal and clinical care relating to assessment and planning, delivery, clinical deterioration and risk management; high-impact and high-prevalence risks; infection control; workforce.

Moyne Aged Care Plus Centre 2, 161 Nangar Road CANOWINDRA NSW 2804

Notice to Agree: 19 August, 2022 to 20 December, 2022

What they need to do: Hire an adviser for at least four months to train staff in dignity and respect; safe and effective personal and clinical care relating to assessment and planning, delivery, clinical deterioration and risk management; high-impact and high-prevalence risks; infection control; workforce.

Murravale Aged Care Facility, 6-10 Haydon Street MURRURUNDI NSW 2338

Notice to Agree: 13 May, 2022 to 14 November, 2022

What they need to do: Hire an adviser for at least six months to train staff in clinical care; care planning, assessment and review; pain management; wound management; management of care recipient weight loss; behaviour management.

Residential Gardens, 420 Woodstock Ave ROOTY HILL NSW 2766

Sanction: Not eligible to receive Commonwealth subsidies for any new care residents for a period of three months.

2 September, 2022 to 2 March, 2023

What they need to do: Hire an adviser for at least six months to train staff in assessment and care planning, including end-of-life planning and consideration of risks to care recipient health and wellbeing; behaviour management; clinical monitoring including recognition of and response to clinical deterioration; best practice wound and skin care; pain management; falls management.

Rose Mumbler Village, 55 Judith Drive NORTH NOWRA NSW 2541

Notice to Agree: April 9, 2022 to 9 December, 2022

What they are required to do: Hire an adviser for eight months to train staff in safe and effective clinical care and personal care including wound management, escalation/reporting of deteriorating care recipients, pain management, and skin/pressure area care.

St Basil’s Lakemba, 300 Haldon Street LAKEMBA NSW 2195

Sanction: Not eligible to receive Commonwealth subsidies for any new care recipients at the service for a period of four months.

20 May, 2022 to 21 January, 2023

What they are required to do: Hire an adviser for at least eight months to train staff in skin integrity management including wound management and pressure area care; pain management; behaviour management and restrictive practices; medication management; falls management.

St Simeon Village, 261 Hyatts Road ROOTY HILL NSW 2766

Sanction: Not eligible to receive Commonwealth subsidies for any residents at the service for a period of three months.

April 11, 2022 to 11 December, 2022

What they are required to do: Hire an adviser for at least eight months to train staff in safe and effective clinical care and personal care including pain management, wound management, falls management, continence management, behaviour management, incident reporting (including compulsory reporting obligations) and staff training relating to elder abuse.

Uniting Springwood, 2 Lewin Street SPRINGWOOD NSW 2777

Notice to Agree: 13 September, 2022 to 13 December, 2022

What they are required to do: Hire an adviser for at least three months to train staff in skin integrity/pressure injuries, falls management, and management of deterioration of care recipients.