Letter to the Editor - Sunday Mail re 'Aged care disgrace' article

Letter sent to the Editor in response to 'Aged care disgrace: worst nursing homes leave residents dirty and underfed' in the Sunday Mail, 22 October 2006

26 October 2006

The Editor

Sunday Mail

GPO Box 130

Brisbane Qld 4001

Fax: (07) 3666 6787

E-Mail: smletters@qnp.newsltd.com.au

The Agency wishes to express its great disappointment with your newspaper’s recent coverage of residential aged care in Queensland.

‘Aged care disgrace’ (Sunday Mail, 22/10/06) not only contains details that are out of date – and which were known to be out of date by the journalist concerned – but the article unnecessarily created fear among the residents and relatives of the aged care homes mentioned.

The vast majority of aged care homes across Queensland are fully compliant with the 44 expected outcomes of the Accreditation Standards and provide high quality care to their residents.

While 38 homes are listed in the Sunday Mail article as failing to meet key care standards, many of these non-compliances were from as long as three years ago, and in the overwhelming majority of cases, the home moved very quickly to rectify the non-compliance after it was identified by the Agency.

The Agency explained to your reporter that where non-compliance is identified, the Agency closely monitors the home to ensure swift action is taken to rectify the identified non-compliance – and in most cases homes act very quickly to fix any problems.

Even though the information was available and outlined to your reporter, the Sunday Mail has chosen to disregard the fact that 30 of the 38 homes are now fully compliant with the Accreditation Standards.

To withhold the fact that these homes are now fully compliant is not only incorrect, it is irresponsible to the thousands of elderly residents in the mentioned aged care facilities, their families and their friends.

All you have done is to punish those homes who have moved swiftly to improve care for residents, and to needlessly create fear among frail and elderly residents.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Falvey

General Manager Corporate Affairs

[Back]