Aged Care Placement

Masonic Care Sandgate - Breach

Aged care breach ignored

Friday, 09 November 2007
Northside Chronicle

SANDGATE: No action will be taken against a nursing home where an 84-year-old resident almost lost his leg from infection, despite a Federal Government investigation finding it breached its responsibilities.

The 84-year-old stroke and heart attack sufferer, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, spent two months in hospital after the wound became so badly infected his tendons were visible.

His son, a Wavell Heights resident, said the wound was treated for a month at Sandgate's Masonic Care nursing home before he received a call from nursing staff indicating his father's condition had deteriorated.

Masonic Care Sandgate is the largest single site aged care facility in Queensland, housing 496 residents.

The man said he told the nurse to call an ambulance, which took his father to the Royal Brisbane emergency department .

The staff at the triage said that if he wasn't there within the next couple of days he would have lost his leg,'' he said.

When an initial Federal Department of Health and Ageing investigation did not find any breach of responsibilities, the son lodged a formal complaint with the Aged Care Commissioner, with photos of the wound as evidence.

The Commissioner's investigation, headed by Grant Davies, found the initial investigation had been inadequate because it hadn't contacted the resident's family.

Mr Davies also found the resident's wound had worsened significantly under Masonic Care's supervision.

`I believe the approved provider failed to provide adequate wound care,'' he wrote in his report.

Mr Davies recommended in strong terms that the initial finding of no breach be overturned and said the arguments otherwise were unconvincing.

However, his findings have been ignored by the Department of Health and Ageing, which confirmed its original decision on October 22.

A departmental spokeswoman said the Commissioner's recommendations had been taken into account but the original findings would stand.

``While a breach was not found in this case, all Australian Government-subsidised aged care homes are subject to ongoing monitoring to ensure they meet legislated standards and this home will continue to be monitored,'' she said.

The son, who has since moved his father to another facility, said he was outraged by the Department of Health and Ageing's stance.

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Masonic Care Sandgate - Breach

Aged care breach ignored