Sanctions on Shalom Toowoomba nursing home due to inadequate aged care

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDAug 26 2010

A nursing home in Toowoomba in southern Queensland has been sanctioned for a serious breaches in its healthcare and safety measures. The Shalom Toowoomba Nursing Home has been warned by the federal Department of Ageing that its care of patients is so poor it will not receive Commonwealth subsidies for six months. The Department would be making daily inspections to make sure the breaches are being fixed.

According to its website, Shalom Toowoomba was formerly the Rangehaven Nursing Home and is owned and operated by Mary and Joe Joseph, who have run aged care facilities in Queensland and Victoria since 1990. It was reopened earlier this year after a reported $18 million redevelopment with 120 beds including high and low care areas and a dementia unit.

These decisions came after a surprise visit from the Department. According to Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot, the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency had identified serious risks to the health, safety and well-being of residents. She said, “Areas of serious risk identified by the agency included inadequate staff training, inadequate clinical supervision and inappropriate delivery of the care required.”

Some directives include;

• Appointment of a Commonwealth-approved administrator with clinical and nursing experience
• Suspending Commonwealth subsidies for new residents
• A ban on charging accommodation bonds or accruing accommodation charges for new residents
• Providing training for its officers, employees and agents.

These sanctions on the approved provider, Deepthi Pty Ltd, will be in place for the next six months.

Minister assured that, “The agency will visit the home each day while serious risk remains and the Department of Health and Ageing will closely monitor the home to check that immediate action is taken by the provider.”