Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care responds after Elizabeth Lodge facility fails key quality standards

A north shore aged care home where a resident grimacing in pain was not treated by staff is under scrutiny after failing to consistently treat residents with “dignity or respect”.

The aged care quality watchdog has taken compliance action against a north shore aged care home after it failed to meet a list of key quality standards.

Elizabeth Lodge, operated by Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care, has been ordered to hire an external adviser and conduct training for its staff as part of a sanction issued by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

The commission said the decision to impose the sanction was based on assessments that found the 64-room Normanhurst facility presented an “immediate and severe risk to the safety, health or wellbeing” of residents.

An inspection of the facility between August 10 and 15 this year found it was non compliant with six key quality standards, including personal care and clinical care of residents.

In its response to the inspection, the home said it has implemented changes to address issues raised including providing additional training for staff.

A photo of the facility in Normanhurst. Picture: Google Maps.

A report detailing areas of noncompliance revealed care was not being consistently provided in relation to pain management, falls management, wound care, unexplained weight loss, and documentation demonstrating informed consent for restrictive practices.

The audit further identified residents were not consistently being treated with dignity and respect when receiving care.

One resident of the home was seen by inspectors “grimacing and displaying symptoms of pain” and was not assessed or provided medication despite staff being made aware of his condition.

Other areas of concern included some employees of the facility not being able to fully demonstrate skills and knowledge to consistently meet resident’s clinical care needs including identifying pressure injuries and support for residents when experiencing pain.

The home was inspected by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

The report stated there were also “deficits in knowledge” relating to complex clinical care, weight management, palliative and end of life care, incident reporting and restrictive practices.

Elizabeth Lodge – in a response to the audit – said it was taking measures to address issues raised during the inspection including an action plan and staff training focused on the specific needs of residents.

The home said it has also implemented processes relating to recording of wound management, and appointed an experienced clinician to review wound management policies and procedures.

The sanction issued by the commission means the facility will have to engage in fortnightly teleconferences with the commission to demonstrate its progress towards returning to compliance.

The external adviser will remain in place for four months to support the facility and ensure it complies with its responsibilities.

A spokeswoman for Adventist Aged Care Sydney said the organisation acknowledges “issues were identified, and are currently being rectified”.

“We have provided a continuous improvement plan to the Aged Care Safety and Quality Commission,” she said.

“Under the plan, an advisor has been appointed and the advisor is providing a written progress report to the commission every two weeks. We are on target to complete our continuous improvement plan and are confident that we will fulfil all the requirements before December 26.

“The health and wellbeing of our residents remains our highest priority (and) the accreditors received very positive comments about the level of care during interviews with the residents, their families and staff.”