Rest home apologises for failings

A rest home has apologised after an elderly woman’s leg wound became infected, having not been treated properly.

Her injured right calf was assessed and treated by a nurse at Summerset rest home in Manukau and it was recorded that the dressing was to be changed after three days. This did not happen.

There was also no Short Term Care Plan created and no photos were taken of the wound, as required.

The woman’s family became concerned that their loved one was in a lot of pain, so they took her to her GP.

The GP recorded that there was a yellow discharge from the wound, it was smelly, that the dressing was wet, and there was cellulitis surrounding the wound.

On a second visit to her GP, the dressing was changed again and she was referred to a home healthcare company for ongoing care but progress notes showed no treatment had been recorded.

The following day the woman’s family discharged her from the rest home.

As a result of the decision, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall told the rest home to provide a formal written apology.

Summerset CEO Julian Cook said they had sincerely apologised to the former resident for the distress caused by her treatment.

“This incident occurred two years ago,” Cook said, “and we have made significant changes to our processes and policies at the facility concerned.”