Gummun Place – Health Assessors Monitoring Closely

THE Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has confirmed if Gummun Place in Merriwa is not compliant before the October 28 deadline there are a number of legal mechanisms which may be taken to vary or revoke accreditation as an aged care facility.

Ms Janet Anderson, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner said her organisation takes the safety, health and well-being of aged care consumers very seriously.

“Following a site audit conducted at Gummun Place on 19-20 June 2019, the service was found to meet 25 of the 44 expected outcomes of the Accreditation Standards,” said Ms Anderson.

“This led to two decisions by the Commission: the first decision was to reaccredit the service for a period of one year, expiring on 12 September 2020.  Services wishing to be reaccredited must apply at least six months prior to the expiry of their accreditation,” she said.

“The Commission’s second decision was to place the service on a timetable for improvement, which indicates a timeframe within which the service is expected to return to compliance. Part of this process includes the service providing the Commission with its plan for continuous improvement which sets out how the service will make improvements,” she said. 

“During a timetable for improvement, a service is monitored closely. This includes an assessment contact at the end of the timetable for improvement to ensure that the service has returned to compliance. Should the service be found to have further non-compliance, the Commission has a number of regulatory mechanisms available including to vary or revoke the service’s accreditation,” she said.

“The Commission regularly shares information with the Department of Health. The Department is responsible for imposing sanctions, which are contemplated where the Commission makes a finding of non-compliance with the Quality Standards, ” she said. 

“If anyone has a concern about an aged care service, they should contact the Commission on 1800 951 822,” Ms Janet Anderson said.

In a statement from the Federal Department of Health, which has the power to sanction aged care facilities, they confirmed they issued a non-compliance order to Council on August 26 and while the facility is accredited until September 2020, they were clear that Gummun Place is currently non-compliant.

The Department of Health said they would continue to work with the Council to help them reach compliance by the October deadline and confirmed they will continue to monitor the facility.

In a statement issued yesterday afternoon by the Upper Hunter Shire Council, Steve McDonald, general manager for the Council said they would continue to provide a caring environment and make improvements to meet the assessor’s standards.

“New standards were introduced as of 1 July 2019, and many aged care residential facilities, are in a similar situation of needing to update procedures to meet these standards,” said Mr McDonald.

“There is a great deal of support for Gummun Place in the community and Council is committed to continuing to offer aged care accommodation in Merriwa,” he said.

“I thank hostel staff, volunteers on the committee, and the many community members who support the facility, for their efforts. Our staff are committed to providing quality care,” he said.

“Council will continue to keep residents, families and staff informed of progress at Gummun Place,” Steve McDonald said.

Actions Council is taking to avoid a possible sanction include:

• reviewing and updating all policies and procedures to reflect the new quality standards;
• providing additional staff training;
• continuing to have a management consultant contracted to provide industry expertise and assist in the implementation of quality improvements;
• implementing a continuous improvement plan, and
• engaging the industry peak body – Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) – to complete a service review and verify actions with the plan and compliance progress in late September.

Related stories:

• Council Again on Notice for Gummun Place – September 27, 2019
• Merriwa Aged Care Under Council Cloud – March 25, 2019
• Letter: Council Not Aged Care Specialists – March 26, 2019
• Letter: Gummun Place – A Merriwa Treasure – March 28, 2019
• Editorial: Finding the Best Option for Care – March 28, 2019