Chris Oldfield, Naracoorte Community News
The Commonwealth Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has imposed sanctions on Naracoorte’s Moreton Bay House stating “there is an immediate and severe risk to the safety, health or wellbeing” of residents.
Following an audit, Moreton Bay House failed 19 of 42 requirements listed under the Commonwealth’s eight industry standards for aged care and safety.
The facility, which has 30 beds, has been banned from accepting funding for any new residents for at least three months.
The body responsible for staffing, food supply and management of Moreton Bay House is Mount Gambier based Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) Inc.
That organisation forms part of the SA Health bureaucracy.
In a public report dated May 24 the safety commission addressed its Notices of Non-compliance, Notices to Agree and Sanctions to the LCLHN, and applied a “Sanction or Notice to Agree”.
“The approved provider (LCLHN) is not eligible to receive Commonwealth subsidies for any new care recipients at the service for a period of three months,” the order says.
The commission instructed the LCLHN to appoint, at its own expense “an eligible adviser to assist it to comply with its responsibilities”.
That appointment had to be made before the close of business on May 25 for at least six months.
The commission demanded that the adviser be given “all the necessary information required”.
“In the event of a Covid 19 outbreak, immediately implement and comply with all advice, recommendations and directions of Commonwealth and SA Health authorities,” the commission’s order states.
It further instructs the LCLHN to provide, at its own expense, training for its officers, employees and agents “as specified” and “to demonstrate that it has provided that training”.
Such training needed to include care planning and documentation; assessment and review processes; behaviour management; incident and risk management including Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) compliance and restrictive practices.
The commission ordered that it receive a written training plan from the provider by June 3 “and written evidence of successful completion of the specified training by December 9, 2022”.
The LCLHN must also participate in fortnightly teleconferences with the commission.
Further, it must ensure a fortnightly written report is prepared and provided to enable the commission to monitor the provider’s progress towards returning to compliance.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission says in its order that it is continuing to monitor a return to compliance at the facility.
According to the commission’s latest update, an adviser was appointed on May 26.
Residents and relatives were notified on May 31.
Aged care is funded directly by the Federal Government.
Local Health Networks were a former SA Liberal State Government initiative and the Limestone Coast group is one of 10 appointed across the State. It is funded by the Federal Government to provide aged care at Moreton Bay House.
According to the LCLHN’s webpage, board members include chairman Grant King, Andrew Birtwistle Smith, Glen Brown, Lindy Cook, John Irving, Dr Anne Johnson, and Dr Andrew Saies.
Neither the sanctions nor Notices to Agree for Moreton Bay House, were listed on the agenda of the LCLHN’s May 30 meeting agenda.
The News learned of the matter as the deadline for press loomed.
The News has sought comment from the LCLHN executive officer director of nursing and midwifery for Naracoorte and Penola, Pam Schubert; SA Health media advisers; SA Health Minister Chris Picton; and Federal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin.
This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.
Related story: Provider fails 19 requirements for Moreton Bay residents