Expert’s inquiry work may be revisited

The Health and Disability Commissioner is considering reviewing all reports provided by an expert adviser after it was discovered the adviser did not disclose a conflict of interest in a current investigation.

The Herald revealed yesterday that advice was being sought in a commissioner’s investigation into resthome care provided to a woman who later died, after aged-care expert Rhonda Sherriff failed to reveal a conflict in the case.

Sherriff completed a review of the care provided to Freda Love at St Kilda Care Home in Cambridge, from late 2016 to early 2017, after Love’s son, Robert, complained to the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC). Sherriff did not disclose she was an NZ Aged Care Association (NZACA) board member, alongside Jan Adams, managing director of Bupa NZ, which owns the rest home.

The office of the HDC admitted yesterday it did not know about the conflict, though Sherriff did disclose she was employed by NZACA as its clinical nurse adviser. Asked if the HDC was reviewing all Sherriff’s reports used in investigations, the office said: “This matter is under consideration”.

Sherriff provided expert advice to HDC in 24 cases.

HDC said Sherriff was a health professional with extensive clinical expertise in the aged care sector, and was highly regarded in her field.

Robert Love called the situation “a serious problem. It’s not just my complaint . . . it represents every single case that she’s been used on for expert opinion.”

Consumer NZ lead researcher Jessica Wilson said the conflict raised issues of transparency: “To request someone to do a review who is so involved in the industry and owns their own rest home is not a good choice.”

The consumer watchdog last year called for an independent inquiry into rest-home care after the Disputes Tribunal ordered Bupa to pay Robert Love $10,000 for St Kilda Care Home’s repeated failings in its care of Freda Love, 92.

Wilson said: “We haven’t seen the commissioner’s final report on this complaint but certainly their choice of this particular assessor does raise issues.”

Robert Love complained about Sherriff ’s independence to the HDC last week. He noted Sherriff, who coowned a Christchurch rest home, was employed by the professional association that promoted the interests of the residential-care industry.

Freda Love required an indwelling catheter which St Kilda Care Home staff assured her son they could manage. But Robert repeatedly found her in a urine-soaked bed. He complained repeatedly to rest home staff and managers and to Waikato District Health Board.

An unannounced audit by the DHB of St Kilda Care Home this year found many failings had not been rectified.

Love said Sherriff’s report was biased but Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill denied that.

Sherriff said she could not comment.

Adams said she did not know Sherriff did work for the HDC.