Raft of issues at rest home: Staff

Allegations of no working vacuum cleaner, low food supplies, untreated wounds denied by former owner

Food ran low at a rest home with no working vacuum cleaner and where incontinence supplies weren’t available for “days and days”, staff told inspectors.

The claims have been denied by the company that owned the facility at that time.

During an inspection last year, health officials noted a strong smell of faeces and urine in some areas of Wakefield Rest Home, south of Nelson. Wounds were untreated and a severely cognitively impaired resident was self-administering angina spray.

The 22-bed facility sold shortly after a final report on the problems. The district health board is satisfied new owners have resolved the issues.

Health officials made an unannounced visit the same day as receiv- ing a complaint from a resident’s family member on October 27, including about staffing cuts and volunteers calling around the community for food donations.

Notes from the visit, obtained by the Herald, outline how no facility manager or clinical manager was onsite, and it wasn’t clear who was in charge.

In a quiet voice the cook reported many instances of insufficient food supplies, with stocks like marmalade and jam often running out. Staff brought in food and vegetables from home, the cook said. A fridge was opened to reveal one-and-a-half cabbages and a small amount of other food.

The officials met with a senior caregiver in charge of the 22-bed facility, who initially said care was “fine”. The caregiver went on to allege:

Carpet in the room of a resident contaminated with faeces couldn’t be cleaned as there wasn’t carpet shampoo.

A family member who wanted to clean out a birdcage couldn’t as there was no working vacuum.

There had been “days and days” without incontinence products. At other times staff were told to use only up to two pads a day, per resident.

Staffing so low that there was no relief available if someone was sick or away.

Two more inspections were ordered after the screening visit, and a final report by Nelson Marlborough Health DHB produced on December 5 last year.

Twelve residents were assessed and had files reviewed. Ten had moderate or severe cognitive impairment, despite the clinical manager only identifying three residents with cognitive impairment.

A resident with severe cognitive impairment was self-managing a spray used to treat angina.

Another resident with severe cognitive impairment had two open and weeping wounds on their leg, which the nurse manager didn’t appear to have been informed about.

Some residents had conditions including heart failure or chronic obstructive airways disease, but didn’t have a plan to monitor these conditions.

Interviewed caregivers said the “exploited” registered nurse was overworked and on call 24/7. A staffer said rostering had been cut to save money, and there was only one caregiver on during the weekend (contradicting provided rosters).

Shortly after the final report in December the rest home was sold by Manis Aged Care No 1, a company owned by Ashwin and Lowreen Mani. A provisional audit before the sale listed 15 corrective actions, two of which were high risk, and nine moderate.

Ashwin Mani, who still owns the Cameron Courts Resthome in Ashburton, said the allegations outlined in the DHB documents were completely false, and residents were well cared for.

Claims there wasn’t enough food, limited access to incontinence supplies, no cleaner or working vacuum were wrong, Mani said, and he could prove weekly purchases.

Hilary Bird, new co-owner of Wakefield Rest Home, said a range of improvements had been made, including increased staffing, equipment and bringing fire sprinklers and alarms up to standard.

Simone Newsham of Nelson Marlborough Health said it was satisfied all the issues relating to resident care had been addressed, and the older people in the facility were now well cared for.