An aged care watchdog’s response to an Adelaide nursing home’s handling of a dementia patient’s attack on another patient was “underwhelming”, according to the coroner. South Australian coroner Mark Johns is investigating the death of Dorothy Mavis Baum, 93, who was attacked at St Basil’s Nursing Home at Christie Downs in May 2012. The inquest heard dementia sufferer Rozalia Setalo, 85, had gone on a rampage using a plastic chain and her walking frame as weapons and inflicted horrific injuries on Ms Baum, who was bed-bound. During her evidence last month, registered nurse Ute Latz said she locked herself and another resident in a nurses’ station after Ms Setalo assaulted her during the outburst. The inquest heard Ms Latz did not check on whether any residents had been injured until three hours later, when she discovered Ms Baum. The coroner held a hearing today to ascertain information about the Aged Care Complaints Commission investigation into the incident. Mr Johns said, from what he had heard so far, the outcome of the commission’s investigation was essentially to rule that the nursing home could continue “business as usual” with just some changes made to policies. “I would like to hear from someone from the commissioner’s office to offer some explanation to me as to why I should not form that view.” Mr Johns said he was critical of whether the commission sent an adequate message to the nursing home in response to the incident, given the nurse in question was still employed by St Basil’s more than four years later. “I’m tentatively of the view that the commission’s response was inadequate.”
December 9, 2016
The Fair Work Commission has consented to the Armest Pty Ltd T/A Miles Witt Partnership application for its Nazareth Care – Wynnum – Nurses Enterprise Agreement 2016.
December 9, 2016
The distraught daughter of an elderly woman murdered in her bed has told a judge of her guilt at having moved her mum into an aged-care facility which she thought would be safe. ‘I lost my chance and my duty to take care of the rest of my mum’s life, the way she took care of me,’ said Janet Parkinson in her victim impact statement. Her brother, Jeff Darragh, said their mother was ‘only a little lady with a big heart’ who loved him whether he was nasty or nice, regarding him ‘as her baby boy’. Six victim impact statements were read out on Wednesday at the NSW Supreme Court sentence hearing of 49-year-old nurse Megan Haines. She was found guilty of murdering Marie Darragh, 82, and Isabella Spencer, 77, by administering insulin to them in the middle of the night in May 2014 at Ballina’s St Andrews Village on the NSW north coast. Haines had learnt of complaints about her refusals to help Ms Spencer reach the toilet and to give a cream to Ms Darragh to soothe an itch. Crown prosecutor Brendan Campbell contended Haines decided to ‘eliminate’ the cause of the complaints as they were potentially career-ending given her prior suspension. In his statement, Donald Spencer said he had been very close to his sister Isabella and had great difficulty in getting over her losing her life in ‘such a shocking way’. Janet Parkinson said when her mother became ill in 2010, she felt guilty ‘about putting her in care because I said I never would’. But Ms Parkinson’s own health had been deteriorating and family discussions led to her mother being placed in the facility ‘because I trusted she would be safe and comfortable there’. She lamented never again being able to ‘take her pancakes for breakfast’. Mr Campbell submitted it was open to Justice Peter Garling to jail Haines for life, noting the women were murdered by a registered nurse in what was supposed to be ‘a place of safety’. Describing the crimes as ‘abhorrent’, he said the women were there for medical reasons and their frailty. Haines’ lawyer Troy Edwards referred to the lack of pre-meditation, in that the crimes occurred on the night she heard of the complaints. She will be sentenced on December 16.
December 9, 2016
An application by May Shaw Health Centre Inc (s.318 – Application for an order relating to instruments covering new employer and transferring employees) will be determined by Senior Deputy President Hamberger in the Fair Work Commission Terrace Tower 80 William Street East Sydney at 1.15pm.
December 9, 2016
Calvary Health Care ACT Ltd is to defend a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) before Deputy President Kovacic in the Fair Work Commission CML Building 17 – 21 University Avenue Canberra at 10am (Powell).
December 9, 2016
One of the country’s top medical voices has criticised the lack of staff at a NSW hospital despite a report revealing patients across the state are waiting less time for emergency treatment. Australian Medical Association NSW President Brad Frankum says the latest Bureau of Health Information (BIH) report, released on Wednesday, reveals an urgent need for more staff at South East Regional Hospital in Bega.
December 9, 2016
The Fair Work Commission has finally given its assent to the De Paul Villa-Ashmore application for its De Paul Villa Enterprise Agreement 2016.
December 8, 2016
The Health Services Union and Northern Health (as an Agency of the State of Victoria) will debate a s.739 (application to deal with a dispute) before Commissioner Cribb in the Fair Work Commission 11 Exhibition Street Melbourne at 12.30pm.
