Caroline Chisholm aged care home: Probe into Lane Cove facility

An audit of a north shore nursing care has found an “immediate and severe risk” to residents with external staff being hurried in.

The aged care quality watchdog has taken compliance action against a north shore nursing home after an inspection found an “immediate and severe risk” to the health and safety of residents.

Caroline Chisholm Nursing Home in Lane Cove has been ordered to hire an external advisor to address areas of noncompliance and conduct training for all its staff in order to prevent being disqualified from providing its services by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC).

The order followed an unannounced inspection audit by the ACQSC between March 2 and 4 this year which found the facility failed 28 key benchmarks it uses to assess the wellbeing of aged care residents including safe and effective personal care, effective management of high-impact risks, support for daily living, providing a safe/clean/well maintained environment, an effective process for feedback and complaints, and organisational governance.

The facility is located on Burns Bay Rd.

Chisholm Nursing Home, operated by Fresh Fields Aged Care (NSW), has complied with the order and hired an eligible advisor on March 25 for a period of at least six months.

The ACQSC denied requests by the North Shore Times to release specific examples of noncompliance discovered in the audit.

In a statement a spokesman said evidence is expected to be released in mid-April once a decision is finalised on whether the service can be re-accredited to provide its services.

The facility has also agreed to provide training for all officers, employees and agents including training on safe and effective clinical care, personal care including best practice clinical risk identification, behaviour management, best practice restraint in residential settings, and appropriate care documentation.

The home was inspected in March.

Other requirements included in the notice include weekly teleconferences between the facility and the ACQSC and detailed written reports of its progress.

The ACQSC said the compliance action was reserved for cases where the risk to consumers was assessed as “high to severe”.

The North Shore Times has contacted the Caroline Chisholm Nursing Home and the operator for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

The home is situated in a two-storey federation building in Lane Cove.

A statement on the website reads: “At Caroline Chisholm we pride ourselves on the excellent care services that we provide to every resident. Our care team is made up of a Director of Nursing, registered nurses, personal care staff, lifestyle officers and other support staff who work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure you are well cared for.”