Vincent Court, an aged care facility in Kempsey, has received a sanction from the Federal Government’s Department of Health after the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission found the facility did not meet Accreditation Standards set by the commission.
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The sanction was imposed on December 19 and as a result, Vincent Court is unable to accept new residents for six months or until all accreditation standards are met.
Vincent Court is a part of the Macleay Valley Catholic Parish Kempsey and is managed by Catholic Care of the Aged (CCA) Port Macquarie.
CCA general manager Bronwyn Chalker admitted the 99-bed residential aged care facility didn’t meet some of the standards and said the systems in place will be improved.
“The sanction has been imposed because some clinical care areas, in particular documentation, and staff education, didn’t meet the appropriate standards,” Ms Chalker told the Argus.
“Being told that your service is not up to scratch when staff and volunteers have such love and commitment for their residents is very difficult to hear.
“The team at Vincent Court is viewing this positively as a way to improve the health, well-being and safety of residents.”
Ms Chalker told the Argus Vincent Court informed staff, residents and their families of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s findings.
“We initiated a meeting with residents and their families on January 16 and that was also attended by a representative of the Department of Health,” Ms Chalker said.
“During which we spoke about the sanctions and gave them the opportunity to ask questions and voice any concerns.
“Improved communication between staff, residents and their families emerged from the meeting as an area of focus.”
Vincent Court has stressed they are committed to improving their procedures.
“Addressing issues identified by the commission is our highest priority and we have acted quickly,” Ms Chalker said.
“Working closely with the department, we developed an action plan to fix areas of non-compliance, including a comprehensive staff training plan, and a highly experienced and qualified adviser has been appointed to lead its implementation.
“Increased staff training across management systems and procedures is an essential component to address the areas of non-compliance.”
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission found Vincent Court’s staff numbers had no significant difference to other facilities of the same size.
Vincent Court also received a sanction from the Government in June 2009, for failing to address non-compliance concerns identified by the independent Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency.
The aged care facility merged with larger organisation Port Macquarie’s Catholic Care of the Aged in August 2009 to receive additional support, management, expertise and services.
The sanctions placed on Vincent Court in 2009 were removed later that year.
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