Aged Care Commission conducts audit at Uniting Hawkesbury Richmond

ACQSC Commissioner Janet Anderson said the ACQSC conducted an "unannounced review audit" at Uniting Hawkesbury Richmond between 17 and 20 February 2020 "to assess compliance with requirements under the Aged Care Quality Standards".

"The outcome of this audit is yet to be finalised. In general, no regulatory response is considered by the Commission until an audit is finalised," said Ms Anderson.

She said before making a decision regarding the service's compliance with the Quality Standards, the Commission considers a number of factors including the assessment team's recommendations following an audit and the service's response to those recommendations.

Once a decision has been made, a performance report will be published on the Commission's website at www.agedcarequality.gov.au.

"The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission takes the health, safety and wellbeing of aged care consumers very seriously," said Ms Anderson.

A Uniting NSW.ACT spokesperson said the ACQSC visited the Uniting Hawkesbury village "following a complaint from a family member of a resident".

"Uniting NSW.ACT aims to provide our residents with high-quality, person-centred care," said the spokesperson.

"The concerns about standards of care in the service are receiving the highest level of attention in the organisation. We are deeply sorry that in Uniting Hawkesbury in Richmond NSW we fell short of expectations and standards set by the Commission.

"We are in the process of carefully reviewing the initial report and will develop a comprehensive continuous improvement plan to ensure we address identified shortfalls.

"We will review our processes and systems to ensure that we make improvements to enable us to ensure the safety and comfort of our residents, as well as supporting our employees.

"The feedback of residents, families and their representatives is also critical to our continuous improvement plan. We will continue to meet with residents, their families and local team members to provide support and listen to their concerns and suggestions.

"The safety and wellbeing of our residents is an absolute priority for Uniting. We will do all that's required to deliver the highest levels of care to meet the standards and expectations that our residents and their loved ones should rightly expect.

"We know that matters of this nature can be concerning. We encourage any aged care resident or their family members who may have questions to speak to the Service Manager."

The ACQSC said if anyone had a concern about an aged care service they could contact the Commission on 1800 951 222.