Residents left to soil themselves, insufficient staff: Blue Care Mareeba comprehensively fails audit

A Tablelands aged care facility has failed every single aged care standard during a recent audit by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

A TABLELANDS aged care facility has failed every single aged care standard during a recent audit by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

The commission’s audit report of Blue Care Mareeba in June has revealed residents who require staff assistance with personal and hygiene care are soiling themselves after being left waiting for help for extended periods, and soiled continence aids are not being changed in a timely manner.

And those residents spoken to by the commission believe there are inadequate staff rostered on to attend to residents’ requests for assistance promptly.

Staff spoken to by the commission backed up residents’ concerns, saying they regularly work with insufficient staff, resulting in a high number of residents not receiving the care and services they need.

Lifestyle staff also advised they did not have time to provide activities specific to the needs of residents with dementia or who were immobile, and that those with dementia were not regularly taken to attend activities.

Two residents even reported their concerns to the commission about physical abuse from staff or staff treating them disrespectfully.

A Blue Care spokeswoman said the health and wellbeing of its residents was at the heart of the organisation’s service philosophy and that it was taking the audit report “very seriously”.

The commission’s report also found care and services provided were not culturally safe.

Lifestyle activities did not cater consistently to residents from various cultural backgrounds and staff who the commission spoke to were unable to demonstrate they could communicate with residents who do not speak English.

The audit also identified that while residents say they have access to a medical officer when they need it, some do not always have access to other health professionals.

“Consumers confirmed the care they receive when they are unwell or experiencing a deterioration in their health is not responded to in a timely manner,” the report said.

“The service has not demonstrated that consumers nearing the end of their life are provided with a comforting environment and interventions that maximised their comfort and preserved their dignity.”

Ineffective pain management, medication management, falls management, behaviour management and skin/wound management for certain residents were other issues identified by the commission’s assessment team.

To top it off, residents and their representatives did not feel comfortable giving feedback or complaints “due to fear of reprisal”.

Aged care is an area that will require more trained staff in the future.

“Consumers provided examples of threats of being punished, being spoken down to and feeling ignored by management after raising complaints.”

The Commission deemed Blue Care Mareeba non-compliant with every Aged Care Quality Standard, however the facility’s accreditation remains in place.

The Blue Care spokeswoman said the organisation recognised the ongoing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and sector-wide workforce shortages.

“Informed by the ACQSC’s audit findings and our own internal review, we have acted swiftly and comprehensively to improve the standard of care at Mareeba,” the spokeswoman said.

“We regret these findings and sincerely apologise to residents and their families that their home did not meet the quality standards. We aim to provide the care and environment our residents and their families rightly expect and deserve.”

The spokeswoman said action to improve the facility’s practices were well-progressed and “we are determined to ensure that care standards at Mareeba not only meet but exceed the expectations of our residents and their families”.

Originally published as Residents left to soil themselves, insufficient staff: Blue Care Mareeba comprehensively fails audit