‘Rotten’ rest-home care leads to deaths of elderly, reports claims

Elderly people in rest homes get about six minutes of care an hour and unions are warning some are dying as a result.

A shocking new report, In Safe Hands, released by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and E tu¯, has revealed patients trying to ration their own care to help overworked staff — including one case of a man dying from an infected wound.

It was reported the man saw how overworked staff were and didn’t want to be a burden by reporting his infection.

Further information about the tragic death was not being made publicly available as it was collected through an anonymous survey and was still being looked into.

E tu¯ industry co-ordinator care and support Alastair Duncan told the Herald action needed to be taken urgently to ensure safe aged-care staffing.

The unions held a summit yesterday in Wellington calling for an updated Government review into aged-care

Health and Disability Commission complaints are largely underreported. Alastair Duncan, E tu¯

staffing standards — and for better and mandatory standards.

“We feel strongly that Health and Disability Commission complaints are largely under-reported . . . This is rotten care and it needs addressing,” Duncan told the Herald.

The report also revealed many staff believed they could not offer safe, quality care because not enough were rostered on. Surveyed staff said they offered “below-par service” and at times went home in tears due to inadequate staffing levels and care.

Standard care was missed or delayed in almost every shift, and aged-care staff frequently faced distress and exhaustion in their work.

The research surveyed 1194 people, including more than 600 registered nurses, nearly 60 enrolled nurses, more than 450 caregivers and nearly 20 facility and clinical managers.

Standards for level C secure environment care, such as dementia, recommend just six minutes of care per hour be given to each patient.

But 81 per cent of staff said residents’ needs had increased greatly since the standards were put in place about 14 years ago.

As well, the standards were only voluntary, so rest homes could choose whether to meet the suggested levels of care.

Low staffing levels and the higher needs of more frail residents meant staff faced the ethical dilemma of deciding who got care, the report said.

Eighty-three per cent of staff said care was missed or delayed most or all shifts; medication and pain relief could be delayed, and illnesses also missed.

One person said that, at times, residents were “processed like products in a factory”.