A dementia patient had a “Wet Wipes” towelette stuffed into her mouth by a care worker to keep her quiet at a Sydney aged care home, Manly Local Court has heard. Anita Prajapati, 31, of Dee Why, also allegedly slapped the woman, aged in her late 80s, across the mouth after she screamed while her clothes were being changed. It is alleged that Ms Prajapati shoved the “scrunched up” Wet Wipes into the elderly woman’s mouth in a room at Peter Cosgrove House — a high-care unit at the RSL LifeCare “War Vets” home at Narrabeen. Ms Prajapati was suspended from her job as a care service employee after a workmate, who allegedly saw the assault on November 1 last year, made a complaint to management. She was later charged with one count of common assault. Ms Prajapati has pleaded not guilty. The workmate, Larissa Daley, told the court on Monday that she and Ms Prajapati were both helping the patient move from a chair to her bed at 2.30pm when the elderly woman, who can no longer talk, screamed out. “That’s when Anita slapped her in the mouth and said ‘stop that’,” Ms Daley said. She said the alleged slap covered the patient’s mouth. Ms Daley said a few moments later, when she and Ms Prajapati were trying to undress the patient, the elderly woman screamed out again. “(Anita) put the Wet Wipe in her mouth and said ‘I told you to stop that’,” Ms Daley said. “It ended up scrunched up in her mouth.” When asked to describe Ms Prajapati’s demeanour at the time of the alleged incident, Ms Daley replied: “Frustrated”. Ms Daley reported the alleged assault to management at Peter Cosgrove House at 4.30pm the same day. She did not report the incident until after she and Ms Prajapati attended to two more patients. Management then contacted police. The court was told that Ms Daley had been upset that Ms Prajapati had criticised her standard of work on a number of occasions and that she had “belittled” Ms Daley in front of their colleagues. Ms Prajapati denied slapping the elderly woman or placing a moistened towelette in her mouth. She told the court that she had only wiped food from around the patient’s mouth as they prepared her for bed. Ms Prajapati said she asked the patient if she was “fine” while helping her out of her clothes, gave her a glass of water, turned on her TV and told her to “have a wonderful day” when she left the room. Magistrate Michelle Goodwin placed a non-publication order on any information that may help identity the alleged victim. Ms Goodwin adjourned the part-heard hearing to Manly Local Court on July 5.
May 8, 2019
A s.185 (Application for approval of a single-enterprise agreement) by MQ Health Pty Limited T/A Macquarie University Hospital has been ratified by Fair Work Commissioner Wilson in Melbourne on 2 May 2019.
May 7, 2019
Minda Incorporated is still fighting a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) in front of Fair Work Commissioner Platt in Hearing Room 6.2 – Level 6 in Adelaide (Constantine).
May 7, 2019
Department of Justice and Community Safety will defend a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) claim before Fair Work Commissioner Wilson in Court 12 – Level 5 in Melbourne today. (Lloyd).
May 7, 2019
TSA (Vic) Property Trust as Trustee The Salvation Army (Vic) Social is facing a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) before Deputy President Masson in chambers in Melbourne (Goodwin).
May 7, 2019
Civic Disability Services Limited is facing a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) in front of Fair Work Deputy President Sams in Hearing Room 14-2 – Level 14 in Sydney (Machaya).
May 7, 2019
A s.739 (Dispute resolution) application by the Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union involving EACH has produced an interim order by Fair Work Deputy President Masson sitting in Melbourne on 18 April 2019. In accordance with Clause 12 Dispute Settlement in the Community Health Centre (Stand Alone services) Social and Community Services Employees Multi Enterprise Agreement 2013-2015 (the Agreement), I order that from 5.00pm on 18 April 2019. A. EACH is required to comply with Clause 12.8 of the Agreement which states that work must continue normally in accordance with custom or practice existing before the grievance arose. B. That compliance with Clause 12.8 of the Agreement in respect of the present dispute requires that EACH must immediately advise employees covered by the Agreement of the revocation and withdrawal of its decision to alter the arrangements for the treatment of Easter Saturday for the purposes of allowing a day in lieu in 2019. Custom and practice as has been observed in previous years shall be followed. C. That EACH will implement the administrative arrangements to give effect to paragraph B above as soon as reasonably practicable and shall advise the Australian Administrative, Clerical and Services Union (the ASU) once it has done so. [2] This order will operate until matter C2019/2501 is determined or otherwise withdrawn or until further order of the Commission.
May 7, 2019
An elderly patient was stabbed in the face and three nurses wounded after a woman stole a pair of scissors and lashed out at staff inside a Sydney hospital. NSW Police said a 29-year-old woman was being treated at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown about 8:30pm when she became “agitated” and began hitting the wall of her room. Police said the woman grabbed scissors from a nurse’s pocket and stabbed her twice in the back. Two nurses who attempted to intervened sustained cuts to their arms. The 29-year-old then went into a neighbouring room, where she allegedly stabbed a 75-year-old woman, a patient of the hospital, in the face. Hospital security, doctors and nurses managed to restrain and sedate the woman before police arrived. It is the second attack at RPA in four months, after a woman allegedly stabbed another patient with a kitchen knife in January. The general secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, Brett Holmes, called for a “full investigation” into the violent incident. “This is a terrible situation… no nurse begins their shift anticipating to suffer injuries on the job,” he said.
