ONGOING gaps in the standard of care at Hunter aged care facilities, and the identification of new ones, have put nearly 40 services on the watchdog's non-compliance register.
There are 36 facilities in the region, taking in the Central Coast, Hunter, and Taree, named on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's non-compliance register for 1 July, 2022, to April 30, 2023.
A total of 13 thirteen services were added to the list in the two months to April 30 following site audits conducted by the commission's assessment teams.
Of those named, five scored a one-star rating, meaning 'significant improvement' is needed, with conditions put in place by the commission.
Another eight nursing homes others scored a two-star rating, meaning the home has current compliance issues which must be addressed.
In many cases staffing continues to be a key issue, with many shifts going unfilled, a heavy reliance on agency staff, and some staff not having the skills, experience and knowledge needed.
The impacts of inadequate staffing included delayed pain relief, long waits for assistance, and a lack of exercise.
At Anglican Care Bishop Tyrrell Place in Cundletown, near Taree, residents and said they were sometimes left in soiled clothes, were served cold meals, and felt ignored by staff.
One person who wanted to be able to go out doors for walks said he was only supported to do that every few months.
At Calvary Cessnock Retirement Home, insufficient staff numbers meant a "lack of timely response to requests for assistance" including for residents who need to return to bed, so that they were choosing not to get out of bed.
Staff at that nursing home said they frequently work over time, and 16 shifts not covered during a recent ten-day period, resulting in "negative consumer impacts relating to hygiene care"
At Fig Tree Point Aged Care Facility, staff told the watch dog's assessment team that sometimes long waits for assistance resulted in residents being incontinent.
In that facility, all of the residents experienced unplanned weight loss, compared to the national average of 60 per cent.
Unplanned weight loss is a quality measure reported due to the serious health issues it can cause such as hip fractures, poor wound healing, malnutrition and lower quality of life.
Residents there were also significantly more likely to experience one or more falls - 60 per cent of residents, which is 28 per cent above the national average, and 35 per cent had experienced a major injury from a fall, one third higher than the national average.
At Groves House in Cardiff, management were unable to demonstrate safe and effective care was being provided in areas including management of psychotropic meds and chemical restraint, pressure injury prevention and wound care - issues first identified during a site audit in February, 2021.
Wounds were not being regularly checked or measured, leading to unrecognised wound deterioration, and flow-on referrals to appropriate health professionals were not being attended. Pain assessments were also not being undertaken when required.
At Maroba Nursing home in Waratah, the watchdog found issues with medication management including missed doses or wrong doses, with "the cause and trends" of those incidents not consistently investigated.
In another facility at Largs, belonging to the Whiddon Group, one man said he was often excluded from activities due to his lack of mobility and another said she was not helped to go to the toilet during the night resulting in episodes of incontinence.
