Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission issues noncompliance notice over Drysdale Grove aged care facility

A Bellarine Peninsula aged care facility has been slapped with a noncompliance notice by the national regulator after it failed to meet a number of important requirements during an unannounced audit. These are the standards it breached.

A Bellarine Peninsula aged care facility has been slapped with a noncompliance notice by the national regulator after it failed to meet a number of important requirements.

Drysdale Grove failed to satisfy a series of measures, including requirements relating to safe and effective care of residents, in an audit by the aged care watchdog.

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson confirmed the commission conducted a comprehensive unannounced site audit at Drysdale Grove between November 18 and 20 last year as part of the service’s application for re-accreditation.

“The Commission found the service non-compliant with 12 of the 42 requirements of the Aged Care Quality Standards and made a decision to re-accredit the service until 18 December 2022,” she said.

Drysdale Grove aged care home. Picture: Mike Dugdale

Drysdale Grove Director of Care Elaine O’Connor said a comprehensive program of improvement is under way in response to a finding by the commission that the home has not fully met Aged Care Quality Standards for ongoing assessment and planning with consumers; personal care and clinical care; human resources; and organisational governance.

The residential facility was deemed non-compliant with requirements including:

DEMONSTRATING each consumer gets safe and effective personal care, clinical care, or both personal care and clinical care, that is best practice, tailored to their needs, and optimises their health and well‑being;

SHOWING effective management of high‑impact or high‑prevalence risks associated with the care of each consumer;

RECOGNISING and responding to deterioration or change of a consumer’s mental health, cognitive or physical function, capacity or condition in a timely manner; and,

MINIMISATION of infection‑related risks through implementing standard and transmission‑based precautions to prevent and control infection.

It’s understood OC Health operates Drysdale Grove through the entity Drysdale Aged Care Pty Ltd.

Ms Anderson said the noncompliance notice issued in December to provider Drysdale Aged Care Pty Ltd regarding Drysdale Grove for failing to comply with the standards is still current.

“The Commission continues to monitor the service closely to ensure that it is concentrating on addressing the areas requiring improvement,” she said.

“When the Commission identifies noncompliance with the Quality Standards, the residential aged care service is expected to address and make improvements in all areas of noncompliance specified and ensure that it is working to return to full compliance with requirements as soon as possible.

Drysdale Grove aged care home. Picture: Mike Dugdale

“Should the Commission have ongoing concerns about care and services at Drysdale Grove, the Commission may consider further regulatory actions including imposing sanctions.”

Ms O’Connor said the service had been working since late last year to develop and implement a detailed improvement program at Drysdale Grove, which has been endorsed by the commission.

“Actions that are well under way or already in place include additional staff training, new systems to capture and analyse clinical data so that we are aware of potential issues, and better processes to ensure that we continue to have access to the staffing and skills we need,” Ms O’Connor said.

“The home has never before been found non-compliant with standards, and I greatly regret that it has happened on this occasion.”

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Originally published as Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission issues noncompliance notice over Drysdale Grove aged care facility