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Australian Nursing Home Oversight Needed

Wed, 08/23/2000 - 12:00am — Karen Stevenson
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- Provided by Kimberly Smith

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that two Sydney homes posed an "immediate and severe risk" to residents. The Minister of Aged Care, Mrs Bronwyn Bishop, announced that spot checks of nursing homes would be stepped up and said the Federal Budget had provided extra money to expand her department's investigation capacity. But the Opposition spokesman on Aged Care, Senator Chris Evans, released a statement claiming inconsistencies by Mrs Bishop, the department and the agency on whether spot-checks of homes were being conducted.

Mrs Bishop had told Parliament in August last year that spot-checks were being done, but subsequent answers from the agency had revealed that none had been done for two years. Spot-checks had begun in earnest with the February controversy over kerosene baths at the Riverside Nursing Home in Melbourne.

Afterward, Mrs Bishop, who previously has defended the Government's policy of self-regulation, said her department would now be able to require the removal of nursing home executives who had been convicted of an indictable offence, were of unsound mind or had been bankrupt. Under existing rules, nursing home owners are not automatically disqualified from holding a provider's licence if they have been convicted of an indictable offence.

The Cabinet decided to allow the Department of Health and Aged Care to give nursing home residents and their relatives fair warning if a nursing home was going to have its licence to operate revoked or if it was likely to be closed, and the Commonwealth Ombudsman issued a report on the nursing home inspection process. This report found numerous problems with the system, like failure to pursue systemic complaints, lack of clarity about who has responsibility for complaints and reviews, lack of objectivity and impartiality, no good process for dealing with persons who wish to remain anonymous, whistleblowers may not be able to make a complaint in good faith and without fear of victimization in the workplace, inspections are not conducted without notice where the matters alleged are serious, and generally poor record keeping may be symptomatic of a lack of training of staff and/or lack of attention to detail and supervision.

- Provided by Kimberly Smith

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that two Sydney homes posed an "immediate and severe risk" to residents. The Minister of Aged Care, Mrs Bronwyn Bishop, announced that spot checks of nursing homes would be stepped up and said the Federal Budget had provided extra money to expand her department's investigation capacity. But the Opposition spokesman on Aged Care, Senator Chris Evans, released a statement claiming inconsistencies by Mrs Bishop, the department and the agency on whether spot-checks of homes were being conducted.

Mrs Bishop had told Parliament in August last year that spot-checks were being done, but subsequent answers from the agency had revealed that none had been done for two years. Spot-checks had begun in earnest with the February controversy over kerosene baths at the Riverside Nursing Home in Melbourne.

Afterward, Mrs Bishop, who previously has defended the Government's policy of self-regulation, said her department would now be able to require the removal of nursing home executives who had been convicted of an indictable offence, were of unsound mind or had been bankrupt. Under existing rules, nursing home owners are not automatically disqualified from holding a provider's licence if they have been convicted of an indictable offence.

The Cabinet decided to allow the Department of Health and Aged Care to give nursing home residents and their relatives fair warning if a nursing home was going to have its licence to operate revoked or if it was likely to be closed, and the Commonwealth Ombudsman issued a report on the nursing home inspection process. This report found numerous problems with the system, like failure to pursue systemic complaints, lack of clarity about who has responsibility for complaints and reviews, lack of objectivity and impartiality, no good process for dealing with persons who wish to remain anonymous, whistleblowers may not be able to make a complaint in good faith and without fear of victimization in the workplace, inspections are not conducted without notice where the matters alleged are serious, and generally poor record keeping may be symptomatic of a lack of training of staff and/or lack of attention to detail and supervision.