The Department of Health has placed sanctions on Moran Aged Care facility at Engadine after an investigation was launched into its operations.
The sanctions, which were imposed on June 6 this year means the facility is not eligible to receive federal government funding subsidies for new residents for a period of three months.
The department identified there there was an “immediate and severe risk to the health, safety and well-being of care recipients” following the investigation by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency.
It stated it had serious concerns into management, staffing, and personal care.
The sanctions were published on the federal government’s My Aged Care website.
Kathryn Turner lodged a formal complaint against Moran Engadine after the death of her mother, Julia Bentley, 92, on May 9 this year, after she suffered osteomyelitis, a bone infection.
She raised concerns relating to wound care, escalation of residents to hospital and cleanliness of her mother’s room.
Mrs Turner believes the service did not provide appropriate management of her mother’s wound.
“I insisted mum be taken to hospital on April 29. She had a very severe heel infection that had been there for nearly three months.
“Had mum survived doctors said they would have had to amputate her foot as the infection was deeply embedded into her bone.” Mrs Turner said her mother loved to go for a beer at the RSL and was “as good as walking last Christmas”.
‘‘When you lose your mum especially in these circumstances it’s the worst thing that could happen.”
Mrs Turner said management acknowledged in writing that the room was in very poor condition and ‘‘beyond normal standards that Moran maintained’’.
“Her room was filthy – there was excrement in the toilet and mum’s skin peels were on the floor because she scratched due to her psoriasis.”
Management told Mrs Turner that her mother’s room had been overlooked for cleaning one day when a staff member called in sick.
A spokeswoman for Moran Health Care Group says it is committed to delivering meaningful, innovative, and exceptional care.
She said Moran Engadine met its full outcomes at its three-year accreditation in February 2018 and its plans for further improvement had been communicated to residents and their families.
It undertook an extensive program of activity relating to skin care and developed a plan for improvement that extended to all areas of clinical care – including increasing the number of nurses and providing additional staff training.
“As such, following an incident at our Engadine facility, we engaged an Independent Nurse consultant, who is a recognised Department of Health nurse advisor, to complete an independent review of our business practices,” she said.
“We also engaged an independent medico legal specialist to review the medical treatment and interventions received by our residents from their own personal general medical practitioners.
“Until such a time that these reviews have been conducted, we are unable to comment on the incident.”
Mrs Turner said the outcome was “too little, too late” but was satisfied her concerns were addressed.
“I’m happy that I reported it and that my complaint went through,” she said.
“At least I’ve brought it to a head, and they will be closely monitored.”
