Dad’s painful death spurs a call to arms
A Darling Downs woman’s battle for justice is far from over as she takes her fight to the federal government.
Kim Sutton is steadfast in her bid to ensure all Australians die with dignity, encouraged by her late father John Currie who suffered an agonising death while in the care of a Toowoomba nursing home.
John was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2022 after presenting to Warwick Hospital complaining of back pain from a recent fall.
After 15 weeks in hospital, John’s care team advised Ms Sutton he would need to transition into a palliative care facility however Ms Sutton said her father’s passing was far from comfortable and painfree during his residency at Northridge Salem.
A number of shocking instances were outlined in Ms Sutton’s complaint, including claims of a lack of pain management assessment or proper wound care, rough handling by staff, at times starvation and lack of general assistance.
Shortly after Mr Currie’s death and after an unsatisfactory meeting with Northridge Salem, Ms Sutton took her complaint to Queensland’s Aged Care Quality Commission.
The ACQSC report ultimately found Ms Sutton’s complaint highlighted particular areas of improvement for the facility, specifically on staff knowledge of pain management and wound care.
After the conclusion of the 10 month ACQSC inquiry, Ms Sutton was advised the commission was satisfied the aged care facility had addressed the issues raised in the complaint.
“I acknowledge that your father will not benefit from the actions taken by the service in response to your complaint. However, I hope you find some comfort in the knowledge that the improvements made by the service will benefit current and future care recipients,” the report said.
Lutheran Services chief executive Nick Ryan said the wellbeing of people in their care was at the heart of the services provided by the not-forprofit and their facilities.
“As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we implement ongoing measures to support high-quality resident care, including staff training in the areas of pain management, wound management, clinical assessments and care planning, and monitoring and evaluation,” he said.
John’s passing continues to haunt his family to this day, prompting Ms Sutton to start a petition that would see a ruling similar to ‘Ryan’s Rule’ introduced into the proposed Aged Care Act.
If it became law, the proposed legislation would replace the existing aged care laws and is aimed at improving the ways services are delivered to older people whether in their homes, community settings or residential aged care facilities.
Since The Chronicle spoke with Ms Sutton in March, her petition has gained more than 3000 supporters.
Now she’s encouraging others to come forward, hosting a community awareness event this month.
“(It’s also an opportunity) for the community to share their experiences with nursing homes and bring this awareness to the (federal) government,” Ms Sutton said. “We just need these laws changed because everyone should die with dignity, my father didn’t and I don’t want to see anyone else go through what he and my family went through.
“The amount of stories I’ve heard (about nursing homes) is shocking, we shouldn’t have to hear these stories.”
The unwavering support from Groom MP Garth Hamilton saw Ms Sutton meet with Opposition spokeswoman for Health and Aged Care Anne Ruston at the end of March.
“Garth’s support has been amazing, I’m very grateful for his efforts,” she said.
Mr Hamilton said the actions of Ms Sutton were incredibly honourable and that he was committed to working alongside her.
“It’s almost impossible to hear her father’s story without a desire to see things improve (in aged care),” he said.
“Kim had a very good response from her meeting with the Shadow Minister and we’re committed to working with her to see things change.”
Mr Hamilton is set to speak at the upcoming community awareness event.
The “Justice for John” community awareness event will be held in Toowoomba at Newtown Hall at 6.30pm on April 22.
The event will also feature guest speakers from Shine Lawyers, Older Persons Advocacy Network, Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia, Hope Horizons and a pancreatic cancer specialist.