South Australia's Human Services Minister has apologised to the family of a disability care client found in soiled clothes and with an infected wound at a state-run care facility, but says that claims he was malnourished have been "overblown".
Michelle Lensink also rejected comparisons between the case of the man known as Mr D and the notorious neglect of Ann Marie Smith, saying they were "unfair".
On Monday, South Australia's health complaints watchdog delivered a scathing assessment of the state-run disability program Transition to Home that was responsible for Mr D's care when he was attended to by ambulance staff on May 31.
Paramedics who received a call-out to the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre found Mr D wearing clothes soiled by faeces and urine and with an infected wound on his neck.
Days after the ambulance call-out, Mr D's weight was measured at 57 kilograms — which was "below his identified healthy weight range" — and he was "identified as a high risk of malnutrition", according to the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner's report.
Ms Lensink said she had apologised to the man's family, and said that, after speaking to her department, said she had "been assured that they have acted on all of the recommendations".
"We've recognised that there were failings in that particular case and obviously we're very apologetic for that," she said.
"What is unfortunate is that the case has been made to be a lot of things that it's not.
"Those claims that Mr D was malnourished have been overblown. On our estimates, we think that at most he might have lost up to 1.6 kilos and the fact that he was doubly incontinent on a regular basis means that there were times when he was soiled but he was always cleaned."
The minister also said it was "unfair" to compare the case with that of Ann Marie Smith, whose former carer pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
"Ann Marie Smith's carer has been charged with negligence, with criminal negligence. The commissioner has not made any finding of negligence in this case," Ms Lensink said.
Advocate condemns 'management by computer'
Opposition human services spokeswoman Nat Cook accused the minister of failing to front the media and prioritising election campaigning.
"This situation warrants an explanation from the minister herself, she shouldn't be handballing this to anybody else, Minister Lensink needs to explain what's going on [and] talk about what changes have been implemented by her and her department, rather than shop for votes," she said.
But Ms Lensink denied having "gone to ground" in the wake of the revelations, saying she was available to the media while visting Port Pirie on Tuesday but that "no-one asked me about it".
She also defended care staff, saying that they were "assiduous in trying to make sure people were cared for".
"The services at Transition to Home have had a number of people who have been quite complex and can be quite difficult for staff at times," she said.
"There were aspects of the case — which are available publicly through the commissioner's report — which demonstrate that he had daily bed baths and that he was seen to by staff but obviously the infection was the matter that was the most concerning.
"Mr D did at times refuse things like having his beard trimmed and wouldn't actually physically go in the shower."
Disability advocate Richard Bruggeman said the case of Mr D raises questions about managerial competence, and highlights how a lack of coordination between the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and providers is leading to neglect.
Professor Bruggeman, a former senior South Australian of the Year, believes managers need a hands-on approach when it comes to checking on clients.
"Our management now in disability services is largely now management by computer," he said.
"Managers need to get off their bums — get out there and have a look at what's occurring in their organisations. I've documented lots of instances where organisations just do not know what their workers are doing."
