‘One patient forgotten daily’
When 94-year-old Dorothy Dyett displaced her prosthetic hip, she was told a caregiver would be provided to supervise her bathing for six weeks – but no-one showed up.
It was not until three months after the Wellington woman’s injury in July that a call offering help finally came, she says.
The Kilbirnie resident is not alone, according to community carer and E tu union delegate Tamara Baddeley, who said many elderly Wellingtonians were finding their care or medication visits forgotten.
The missed appointments follow changes in Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley District Health Boards’ home and community support services (HCSS) contracts, which reduced the number of providers from three to one. ‘‘Access won the contract, so everyone over 65 who was DHB-funded transitioned to Access,’’ Baddeley said.
This included 2000 clients and 300 staff from providers Enliven and Healthcare NZ to Access, in addition to Access’ own 2000 clients.
Access chief executive officer Simon Lipscombe said this week: ‘‘In any major transition, there are always challenges at start-up. However, when any issues are brought to our attention, we resolve them with urgency.’’
Neither Enliven nor Access, which were both involved in Dyett’s care, would comment on her case, citing issues of patient confidentiality.
ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Melville confirmed ACC had provided six weeks of physiotherapy to Dyett, but had no record of funding any bathing assistance.
‘‘We are very concerned that Dorothy did not get the personal care assistance she needed after her accident, and are sorry that in our communications with her, it wasn’t realised that she was managing on her own.
‘‘Had she let us know, we would have followed up immediately.’’
Baddeley said the number of issues since the transition of providers in August was ‘‘not funny’’, and at least one patient was forgotten daily.
‘‘They don’t want it getting out because the DHB will be watching them and they have to make it work, because there is no other option for the older people.’’
Capital & Coast group manager service development Helene Carbonatto said she had received a small number of complaints about missed patient care recently. ‘‘When these are raised with Access, they are treated with urgency and resolved.’’
She said there were targets that Access must consistently meet in order to receive full payment.
‘‘We are the first DHB in the country to introduce quality and performance payments for this type of service.
‘‘The DHB receives regular information against key performance indicators. We are happy overall with the quality and level of service provided by Access to date.’’
If a patient required home and community support services within 48 hours of discharge, the DHB made a referral to the HCSS provider and ACC.
‘‘They then liaise with one another about services and payment. If the patient does not require HCSS within 48 hours, we send the referral to ACC, which is then responsible for making arrangements with the HCSS provider.’’
Dyett said she felt sorry for Access, which she thought appeared to have bitten off more than it could chew.
‘‘I think this is a service in crisis.’’
She was not too concerned about her three months without care, but wanted to make sure others received better attention.
‘‘I’m a stroppy old cow, I’ve been a schoolteacher for 50 years, I don’t let things go.
‘‘I am concerned for people who are in much more desperate circumstances than mine . . . I know of at least half a dozen friends who despair of the service offered to them, or to their frail or elderly relatives.’’