Southern Cross Care North Turramurra fails found non-compliant with quality standards

A north shore aged care home which cares for more than 100 residents has been found non-compliant with a list of quality standards including the clinical care of residents.

Staff shortages and deficits in clinical care are among a list of compliance failures uncovered at a north shore aged care home.

Southern Cross Care in North Turramurra has been found non-compliant with four aged care quality standards including consumer dignity and choice, human resources and personal and clinical care following an audit of the facility from May 31 to June 2 this year.

The audit was carried out by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission which discovered care documents failed to demonstrate pain was appropriately assessed and monitored for all residents, despite some complaining of pains from falls.

The centre has operated in Turramurra for more than 50 years.

Staff shortages was another area of concern with call bell response data showing long response times for some residents.

Employees told inspectors there was not always enough staff to provide quality care and staff were not always replaced when employees called in sick.

The negative impacts of staff shortages, according to family members interviewed by the commission, included increased risk of falls, staff not brushing residents’ teeth, and not having time to build relationships with residents.

Inspectors found further compliance failings in the clinical care of residents nearing end of life including appropriate pain monitoring and management, maintenance of skin integrity and timely referrals to palliative care services.

The home was inspected earlier this year. Photo: stock.

The inspection report showed care planning documents did not consistently identify the needs of some residents, and for residents who passed away at the home, palliative care was not effectively provided to maximise their comfort.

Privacy was another issue of concern with staff seen entering resident’s rooms without knocking, not ensuring personal information was kept secure in nurse’s stations, and instances of staff administering eye drops to residents while at shared dining tables.

Other concerns highlighted during the audit included out of date information relating to medication in care documents, and blood glucose levels not being monitored for two residents in line with the directives from a medical officer.

The home said improvements have been made since the audit.

In response to the audit, the facility said it had made various improvements since June to address privacy, personal care and pain management through measures such as implementing a new medication management system.

The facility has also hired eight new care staff members to address concerns over shortages.

The audit is part of checks by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission which assesses aged care providers against eight quality benchmarks

The standards are designed to make it easier to check that residents of aged care facilities receive “good care” and outline what “a good aged care should look like”.

Southern Cross Care North Turramurra is one of 93 aged care facilities in NSW to have been found non-compliant with aged care quality standards since July 1 this year.