Aged care abuse: Gold Coast aged care workers accused of assaulting elderly patient at Estia Health
Two aged care workers have faced court after allegedly assaulting an elderly patient at a private facility on the Gold Coast.
Crime and Court
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TWO Gold Coast aged care workers appeared in Southport Magistrates Court this week accused of assaulting an elderly patient.
A woman aged 50 and another aged 51 were each charged with one count of serious assault of a person over 60. They are scheduled to return to court on August 20.
The alleged assault occurred at Estia Health Mudgeeraba, where they worked, in March.
The allegations of abuse were first brought to light in a letter to family members of residents, sent by Estia Regional manager Graham Renwick in April.
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A spokesman for Estia Health said the employees were stood down following the allegations of improper treatment and rough handling, and the matter reported to police.
Their employment has been terminated.
“We are working closely with the residents and their families, having informed them of the allegations and our focus remains on supporting them through this difficult period,” a spokesman from Estia Health said.
“As the matter is now before the courts, we cannot make further comment. We will continue to fully co-operate with the legal process.”
The nursing home came under scrutiny by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in April after it failed an audit report.
Commissioner Janet Anderson said the audit took place as a result of information provided to the Commission.
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The audit found the service to be non-compliant with six expected outcomes.
It also revealed care recipients had not been provided emotional support following incidents of alleged assault and found the service did not have a culture of reporting alleged or suspected assaults.
Following a monitoring visit on July 3, the commission decided the service was now compliant.
The incident follows the closure of the nursing wing at the Earle Haven Village at Nerang last month, and the evacuation of 71 elderly residents.
They have still not returned to their home.
No allegations of assaults have been made against staff at the Earle Haven nursing home.
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