Choking death and maggot-infested NT nursing home horror

Regis Tiwi Gardens – which charges residents up to $515,000 in accommodation bonds – was slapped with a sanction by the federal government’s Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) this year.Inspectors found shocking conditions – including flyblown wounds and possums falling from the ceiling – in a surprise inspection of the privately owned aged care home in April that deemed residents to be at “severe and immediate risk’’.One resident’s bed sores had been “infested with maggots on several occasions’’ over four months but staff failed to remove them or even to bandage the wound to prevent flies laying eggs, the inspectors reveal in a scathing 77-page audit report.“Clinical staff did not follow the organisation’s process for maggot removal, with documentation demonstrating staff did not on any occasion complete the entire eradication procedure,’’ the report states.“I have also considered staff did not effectively implement the organisation’s maggot removal procedure on several occasions to ensure eradication when maggots were identified and to ensure Consumer A received best practice care for their wounds.’’Regis told the ACQSC that it “acknowledges there were delays in completing Consumer A’s wound dressings and processes have been implemented to ensure wounds are dressed in accordance with the prescribed regime”.“Consumer A was reviewed by a wound specialist in May 2021 who indicated that while the wound continues to increase in size and exudate, the wound remains clean,’’ the report states.“The specialist recommended a dressing regime to minimise the risk of maggot infestation.’’ “The maggot removal procedure has been reviewed to ensure it meets best practice and it was found no changes to the procedure were required.’’The audit also reveals that the same resident had a “choking episode’’ after being fed the wrong meal.Another resident, known as “Consumer C”, choked to death after being given “food which was not in accordance with their prescribed diet’’.“The care file for Consumer C, who was identified on the service’s incident log as an ‘unexpected death’, did not have their risk of aspiration appropriately assessed in a timely manner,’’ the audit report states.“The speech pathologist review notes indicate there were multiple reports of Consumer C coughing on foods and fluids.“The day after Consumer C was reviewed by the speech pathologist, the consumer was transferred to hospital due to decreased consciousness and low oxygen saturation levels. “A progress note indicates the diagnosis from the hospital was a query infected lung. The consumer died the day of hospital admission.’’Search our table below for the Australian aged care homes that have failed a government audit: NED-4800-Aged-CareThe Regis home was banned in May from admitting any new residents for six months and ordered to train staff in “safe and effective clinical care and personal care including wound management, weight loss management, behaviour management, and identification and management of care recipients at risk of choking’’.The ACQSC said yesterday it had lifted the sanction on September 30.A Regis spokesperson said yesterday that “Regis met all the conditions needed for the sanction to be lifted early’’.The audit report found “ongoing scabies infections’’ in the home, with “dirt and grime’’ in bathrooms and dead cockroaches in kitchen cupboards.“The service is unsure how to manage possum infestation and a consumer was to be relocated from their room after three possums fell from the manhole,’’ the report states.Government inspectors noted that one resident of the nursing home had harassed female residents six times in the space of a month.One resident complained to the inspectors that the man’s “responsive sexual and physical behaviours are not effectively managed”. “One consumer interviewed stated Consumer D wanders around the unit and harasses other consumers, especially female consumers but staff are not available to supervise Consumer D,’’ the report states.“Two staff interviewed indicated Consumer D is aggressive and exhibits inappropriate behaviours towards female consumers.’’ The audit report shows that one resident lost 14kg over four months but Regis did not “identify or respond in a timely manner.’’Another resident suffered a stroke but staff failed to transfer them to hospital until prompted by a family member, the report states.A News Corp Australia investigation can reveal that 155 nursing homes failed inspections nationally this year – and 32 were slapped with sanctions or “notices to agree’’.Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said inspectors had visited 3600 aged care homes in 2020/21, and new quality standards had “lifted the bar’’ for nursing homes.

from Daily Telegraph https://ift.tt/3b1Pweq

October 23, 2021 at 11:30PM
https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Regis Tiwi Gardens – which charges residents up to $515,000 in accommodation bonds – was slapped with a sanction by the federal government’s Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) this year.Inspectors found shocking conditions – including flyblown wounds and possums falling from the ceiling – in a surprise inspection of the privately owned aged care home in April that deemed residents to be at “severe and immediate risk’’.One resident’s bed sores had been “infested with maggots on several occasions’’ over four months but staff failed to remove them or even to bandage the wound to prevent flies laying eggs, the inspectors reveal in a scathing 77-page audit report.“Clinical staff did not follow the organisation’s process for maggot removal, with documentation demonstrating staff did not on any occasion complete the entire eradication procedure,’’ the report states.“I have also considered staff did not effectively implement the organisation’s maggot removal procedure on several occasions to ensure eradication when maggots were identified and to ensure Consumer A received best practice care for their wounds.’’Regis told the ACQSC that it “acknowledges there were delays in completing Consumer A’s wound dressings and processes have been implemented to ensure wounds are dressed in accordance with the prescribed regime”.“Consumer A was reviewed by a wound specialist in May 2021 who indicated that while the wound continues to increase in size and exudate, the wound remains clean,’’ the report states.“The specialist recommended a dressing regime to minimise the risk of maggot infestation.’’ “The maggot removal procedure has been reviewed to ensure it meets best practice and it was found no changes to the procedure were required.’’The audit also reveals that the same resident had a “choking episode’’ after being fed the wrong meal.Another resident, known as “Consumer C”, choked to death after being given “food which was not in accordance with their prescribed diet’’.“The care file for Consumer C, who was identified on the service’s incident log as an ‘unexpected death’, did not have their risk of aspiration appropriately assessed in a timely manner,’’ the audit report states.“The speech pathologist review notes indicate there were multiple reports of Consumer C coughing on foods and fluids.“The day after Consumer C was reviewed by the speech pathologist, the consumer was transferred to hospital due to decreased consciousness and low oxygen saturation levels. “A progress note indicates the diagnosis from the hospital was a query infected lung. The consumer died the day of hospital admission.’’Search our table below for the Australian aged care homes that have failed a government audit: NED-4800-Aged-CareThe Regis home was banned in May from admitting any new residents for six months and ordered to train staff in “safe and effective clinical care and personal care including wound management, weight loss management, behaviour management, and identification and management of care recipients at risk of choking’’.The ACQSC said yesterday it had lifted the sanction on September 30.A Regis spokesperson said yesterday that “Regis met all the conditions needed for the sanction to be lifted early’’.The audit report found “ongoing scabies infections’’ in the home, with “dirt and grime’’ in bathrooms and dead cockroaches in kitchen cupboards.“The service is unsure how to manage possum infestation and a consumer was to be relocated from their room after three possums fell from the manhole,’’ the report states.Government inspectors noted that one resident of the nursing home had harassed female residents six times in the space of a month.One resident complained to the inspectors that the man’s “responsive sexual and physical behaviours are not effectively managed”. “One consumer interviewed stated Consumer D wanders around the unit and harasses other consumers, especially female consumers but staff are not available to supervise Consumer D,’’ the report states.“Two staff interviewed indicated Consumer D is aggressive and exhibits inappropriate behaviours towards female consumers.’’ The audit report shows that one resident lost 14kg over four months but Regis did not “identify or respond in a timely manner.’’Another resident suffered a stroke but staff failed to transfer them to hospital until prompted by a family member, the report states.A News Corp Australia investigation can reveal that 155 nursing homes failed inspections nationally this year – and 32 were slapped with sanctions or “notices to agree’’.Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said inspectors had visited 3600 aged care homes in 2020/21, and new quality standards had “lifted the bar’’ for nursing homes.