Aged care shame: Audit reports reveal litany of non-compliance at Cairns aged care homes

From staff shortages to subpar wound care, the shortcomings of a number of Cairns aged care homes have been laid bare in damning audit reports published by the aged care watchdog.

FROM critical staff shortages to failing to appropriately report complaints of sexual assaults to subpar wound care, the shortcomings of Cairns aged care homes have been laid bare in damning audit reports published by the aged care watchdog.

Infinite Care’s Edge Hill Orchards, Mercy Place Westcourt, and Bupa Mt Sheridan are the three Cairns aged care facilities that have been told to pick up their game by Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission assessment teams so far this year.

Edge Hill Orchards

A 182-bed, modern facility, Edge Hill Orchards opened in 2019 and according to the Infinite Care website, offers residents “a warm homelike environment that is designed to provide high levels of care and other services”.

But an audit report published by the ACQSC from a visit earlier in the year painted a less-rosy picture.

Edge Hill Orchards was determined to be non-compliant with five of the eight Aged Care Quality Standards, including personal and clinical care.

Residents in the facility also complained about staff shortages impacting their quality of care.

In one instance, the ACQSC reported that one resident continued to receive a particular medication after the prescription was stopped.

In another instance, a resident with breathing difficulties had a respiratory therapy program in place but staff did not have a “shared understanding” of the program, nor did they know who was supposed to deliver it.

The ACQSC also found residents’ wound care was not being completed in line with directives.

Residents and their representatives also told assessment teams that delays in staff responding to requests for assistance had resulted in “negative outcomes” in relation to “continence care, toileting, hygiene care and ability to participate in activities”.

Staff at Edge Hill Orchards even reported to the ACQSC that they “do not always have sufficient time to complete their work”.

The facility also came under fire for call bell response times, which managers advised the ACQSC were “monitored to identify those responses that fall outside the service’s benchmark”.

“However, consumers/representatives reported that on occasion staff enter the consumer’s room, turn the call bell off and advise the consumer they will return and that this contributes to delayed response times.”

The ACQSC noted that since the audit, a number of issues had been addressed or were in the process of being addressed, and that registered staff hours had been increased.

Edge Hill Orchards operator Infinite Care was contacted for comment on June 17 but the organisation never responded.

Mercy Place Westcourt

Mercy Place Westcourt. PHOTO: BRENDAN RADKE

A litany of issues were identified in Mercy Place Westcourt’s audit report from May, which found the home was non-compliant with six of the eight Aged Care Quality Standards.

Typically, facilities with good compliance records who pass audits with flying colours would be accredited for three years.

The home was only re-accredited for a year and two months.

Among Mercy Place Westcourt’s compliance issues, the ACQSC found during the commission’s March visit the service “did not have an effective infection control program that included planning and preparedness for an outbreak of Covid-19 and the service’s infection prevention and control lead had not completed mandatory training”.

Mercy Place Westcourt refuted the ACQSC’s concerns about the appropriateness of its outbreak plan but the commission found “evidence to demonstrate the required information had been recorded … was not provided”.

The ACQSC also said Mercy Place Westcourt was unable to demonstrate its workforce was planned to enable the delivery and management of safe and quality care.

Most residents and their representatives told the ACQSC there were insufficient staff at the facility, which resulted in their care needs not being met in a timely manner.

Staff also confirmed to the ACQSC they didn't have enough time to perform their tasks and responsibilities.

MORE NEWS:

Manoora fatal crash victim identified as Ailsa Satini

Cairns Hospital areas restricted after threats against staff

Queensland records one new locally acquired case of Covid-19

Mercy Place Woree closes: Westcourt facility announces staff cuts and resident increase

Registered staff raised concerns regarding additional duties they were required to complete, such as signing in visitors or answering the service’s phone after 2pm, which “distracted them from their clinical duties”.

And care staff also said insufficient staffing levels had resulted in call bell delays, increased falls, limited social engagement, and hygiene preferences not being met.

Responding to the commission’s findings, Mercy Place said staffing hours had not been allocated “in the most optimal manner”, there had been an increase in unplanned leave, and more casual staff had been recruited.

“While I acknowledge the approved provider’s response, at the time of the site audit, the service was not planned to ensure the delivery and management of safe and quality care,” the report said.

The report also found some residents said they did not feel safe as a result of other residents’ “challenging and wandering behaviours”.

The ACQSC found those residents had previously raised concerns about their safety but that nothing had been done.

Mercy Place Westcourt also failed five of the seven requirements relating to personal and clinical care.

A Mercy Health spokesman said that upon receipt of the audit report and after responding in detail to each point raised, Mercy Place Westcourt was issued ongoing accreditation.

Bupa Mt Sheridan

Most Bupa Mt Sheridan staff didn’t understand their reporting responsibilities “in relation to incidents of a sexual nature involving one (resident) with a cognitive impairment”, an ACQSC audit report has found.

Overall, the aged care watchdog earlier this year determined Bupa Mt Sheridan was non-compliant with five of the eight Aged Care Quality Standards.

The ACQSC found the service did not have a “shared understanding of legislative requirements in relation to the compulsory reporting of sexual assaults” and documentation was “inconsistent in relation to the recording of several reportable incidents for one (resident)”.

Responding to the commission’s findings, Bupa said it had since developed a new Serious Incident Response Scheme management system to address the issue, alongside mandatory education for staff.

The ACQSC found personal and clinical care was largely up to standard at the facility, with the exception of one case where the service failed to identify changes in a resident’s skin integrity or provide them with appropriate care over an almost two-week period.

Bupa Mt Sheridan acknowledged the breakdown in communication and processes and confirmed existing procedures were in place.

Overall, Bupa Mt Sheridan was deemed to be compliant with the majority of its requirements under the Aged Care Safety Standards, but a few issues saw them run afoul of the regulator.

A Bupa Aged Care spokesman said the facility had been working hard to address the issues identified.

“Some of these have been addressed already, while others will take a little more work to show sustainable improvement,” he said.

“While we are truly disappointed by the noncompliance outcomes, our efforts to improve will be ongoing.

“We welcome this kind of independent scrutiny.”

The spokesman said caring for a community of residents with varying and complex needs was a “constantly evolving” responsibility and “we understand we must continue to earn the trust placed in us by our residents and their loved ones”.

Originally published as Aged care shame: Audit reports reveal litany of non-compliance at Cairns aged care homes