|
LINKS
CORPORATE
MEDICINE WEB SITE Disclaimer Links to Site
Maps
Nursing Hm
Comp Unlisted Comp.
Vic. B
Introductory
page Australian
section Enhance Aged
Care
The many extracts on these pages are from
copyright material. They are owned by the reference
given or its owner. They are reproduced here for
educational purposes and to stimulate public debate
about the provision of health and aged care. I
consider this to be "fair use" in the common
interest. They should not be reproduced for
commercial purposes. The material is selective and
I have not included denials and explanations. I am
not claiming that the allegations are true. The
intention is to show the general thrust of
corporate practices as well as the nature and
extent of any allegations made. Any comments made
are based on the belief that there is some
substance at least to so many
allegations.
Central
Initial
USA
Australian
International
Corporate
Practices
(to
print)
Path to this page
Home
Australia
Markets
& aging
Nursing
homes
The
Companies
overview
Health care
Hospital
Corporatisation
Entry
to
Privatisation
Privatisation
Background
Australian
states
Pathology
&
Radiology
Gen.
Pract. Corporatisation
Aged Care
Story
of
corporatisation
Nonprofit
dilemma
Aging
bonanza
Banks
Nursing
homes
Home
Care
Breadth
health
corporat.
Retirement
Villages
Nursing Homes
Government
1985
to 1998
Correspondence
1998
to 2001
2002
to 2005
2006
Accreditation
Nurses
People
farming
Residents
&
Relatives
The
Companies
Not
for profit homes
The
Companies
overview
Listed Companies
Milstern
DCA
Audit
problem
Ramsay
Hlth Care
Aevum
Retirement
Care Aus.
Bigger unlisted Comp.
Moran
Hlth Care
Tricare
Regis
Grp
Unlisted Comp. Vic. A
Illawaong
Saitta/Neviskia
CIS
Holdings
Eildon
McKenzie
SRS
& Marnotta
Enhance
Peel
Street
Muskjest
Lasalto
& Easyplan
etc
Ellis
& Elfam
Dampier
Bay
Hastings
Regional
Navatha
& Locksley
Unlisted Comp. Other
Aegis
Sauve/Craigcare
Kennedy
Thompson
Alchera
Park
Trans
Dominion/Farad
Gonzales
Bresant
Tolega
& Karoona
Peninsula
Content of this page
This corporate web site addresses the
issues of corporate health care within a
broad framework. A web page describing
this broad context should be considered as
an introduction to each page on the web
site. If you have not yet read it then
CLICK
HERE
to open it in another tab or web page.
This is another company with faceless owners
which had major problems in a nursing home and
hostel on the same campus. It sold to
DCA.
Chelsea Private Nursing Home
There is no information about the Victorian group, Enhance Aged Care and it is no longer listed as a nursing home owner. It seems to have been a one off startup without experience or interest in care - looking to cash in on the aging bonanza. Two facilities Chelsea Park (90 beds) and Chelsea Private Nursing Home (124 high care beds) south of Melbourne were at the same address. Chelsea Park Private was home to a 2003/4 scandal. Chelsea Park had been sanctioned in 2000. It is not known when Enhance bought into the indiustry but probably before 2000.
When another home Kiandra in Victoria closed after problems with accreditation Enhance bought its 30 bed licences but does not seem to have used them itself.
The nursing home was told in January to overhaul its Trentham St operation after an Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency (ACSAA) audit found it failed to meet two-thirds of the required standards (Leader, January 21).
Nov 2002 Buying bed licenses
-------------------------
But a subsequent ACSAA review in June found the nursing home had improved substantially to pass 43 of 44 areas and gain two-year accreditation (Leader, July 22).
-----------------
But despite gaining accreditation, proprietor Pam Danks, told the Leader in July the home would close in October..Ms Danks sold Kiandra's 30-high care bed licences to Edithvale organisation Enhance Aged Care.
Beds lost as nursing home shuts. Sandringham Brighton Advertiser November 4, 2002
While we get the name of the managers of the Chelsea homes we learn nothing, from the many press reports, about the shadowy owners who are responsible for what happened there. Who are they? What sort of people are they? Where does the money come from? What other business ventures are they in to? What experience have they had?
Chelsea Park at Station Street, was sanctioned in 2000.
ALMOST half the residents of a Melbourne nursing home were drugged or physically restrained to keep them quiet, a report claims.
May 2000 Chelsea Park - excess use of restraints
The report by the government's main aged-care monitoring agency shows 14 of the home's 90 elderly residents who were able to walk unaided were restrained 24 hours a day.
------------------------
The federal Health De partment is investigating a complaint from a Frankston family about the circumstances leading to the death of a female resident of Chelsea Park from pneumonia in November.
---------------------
"The reasons for applying restraint are inappropriate and alternatives to restraint are not explored," the report said.Resistive behavior, absconding, impulsiveness, agitation, confusion and disorientation were reasons given, it said.
"Residents' dignity is compromised due to the extensive use of physical restraint.
"Residents were seen spending all day in communal living areas, physically restrained."
Aged kept quiet in restraints Herald-Sun May 2, 2000
In 2002 there had been a glowing advertorial in the local paper from a nurse about "Chelsea Private".
Ms Grieve said her initial impressions of Chelsea Private were very favourable, "seeing how well the residents of the home are cared for, and the profound dedication and kindness shown by the staff in providing that care".
Feb 2002 Glowing advertorial
----------------------------
Ms Grieve said the home was well-equipped and the environment bright and attractive.Services provided included a hairdressing salon; a masseuse who assisted with physiotherapy; activities that were enjoyable and stimulating for residents and their relatives; an appetising menu; consultant dietitians and physiotherapists and laundry and cleaning.
---------------------------
"The job is all about people the way they feel and what they need and my particular focus is on the staff who work with our residents," she said.
-------------------------
"The quality of residential care of our older members of the community is paramount in my opinion," Ms Grieve said.
Job with impact. Mordialloc Chelsea News February 6, 2002
In 2003 Chelsea Private Nursing Home, owned by Enhanced Health Care was sanctioned. This is another example where there was a discrepancy with what was found on a regular audit compared with the findings after a complaint. The home had been accredited without any problems but an audit after a resident went walkabout and another died found multiple problems. Nothing sharpens acuity quite like a death and a pending coroners inquiry. Once again the problem was inadequately trained and too few staff - a commercial problem.
Note the difference in the number of failures stated by the home when compared to the agency's actual finding published a few weeks later.
A MELBOURNE nursing home has been stripped of federal funding after a female resident with dementia wandered away and was found by police.
Nov 2003 Chelsea Private sanctioned
--------------------------
The Government has taken the extremely rare step of withholding funding for new residents for six months at Chelsea Private Nursing Home.
--------------------------
The home is run by Enhance Aged Care and general manager Rob Smith said it failed only one of 44 standards in the agency's inspection -- behavioural management.
Aged home's funds axed Herald-Sun November 21, 2003
Federal inspectors found some residents at the 124-bed Chelsea Private Nursing Home lashed out aggressively at each other and staff.
Jan 2004 Too few inexperienced nurses and aggressive residents
--------------------
Staff shortages and inexperience are attacked in the report, which tells of one resident's 45 aggressive acts towards staff in five months.The home failed 19 of 44 Commonwealth standards after inspectors found residents were at serious risk.
--------------------------
One resident's problems included wandering, intrusive behaviour, physical and verbal aggression, and dangerous and resisting behaviour.Another had aggressively rammed a walking frame into the backs of other residents' legs nine times in a month, once resulting in both of them falling.
The same person was also involved in five acts of aggression towards staff.
Inspectors found the home relied too much on agency staff who sometimes lacked experience. Many nurse attendants had no qualifications.
Staff often complained about inexperienced agency staff.
"Agency staff had been leaving `falls risk' residents in raised beds/no cot sides, were incapable of feeding residents, had no experience or knowledge of suitable infection control, manual handling and resident dignity," one complaint read.
Nursing home faces axe Herald-Sun January 15, 2004
The home has also been at the centre of a police investigation following the death of resident Alice Woolcock, 89, on November 7, two weeks after an incident at the home.
Jan 2004 Alice Woolcock's death
Nursing home vows to meet standards Mordialloc Chelsea Leader January 28, 2004
The nursing home had passed 43 of 44 federal accreditation standards just before Mrs Woolcock's death but passed only 25 criteria two months later.
Oct 2005 Accreditation discrepancy
Coroner investigates nursing home death Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News October 10, 2005
Alice Woodcock's family spoke out about the failures at this home and the way they were misinformed about the death of their mother. But for their persistence the matter would have been burried. A coronial inquiry was eventually held. The Bulletin wrote a critical review of aged care using Alice Woodcock as the focus point.
After initially documenting that the patient was attacked by another resident the home changed its story. The family were far from persuaded. They had been misinformed. It was the integrity of a nurse who spoke out and told them the truth that made them suspicious.
According to the home's incident report obtained by The Bulletin, Alice was pulled out of her bed by another female resident, then kicked and hit while she lay on the floor. She was taken to Frankston Hospital where doctors diagnosed a broken hip and arm. Over the next fortnight Alice underwent surgery but her condition deteriorated and she died
Aug 2004 The first story
For the love of Alice; Her family want justice. The Bulletin August 17, 2004
The nursing home later changed its story, telling police the report was wrong, insisting the elderly woman got out of bed herself and fell after another resident came into her room.
Jul 2005 Another story
Woolcock's family demanded an inquest but were initially denied this by the coroner. Following pressure from the family and the Health Services Union, the coroner has changed his mind and agreed to hold a formal investigation in October.
Late justice; A Senate inquiry into the aged care industry has recommended higher levels of scrutiny The Bulletin July 19, 2005
An attack on an 89-year-old woman in her nursing home bed by another resident was concealed from her family, a coroner's inquest was told today.
Oct 2005 Family lied to
------------------------
Staff at the nursing home initially told Mrs Woolcock's family she had fallen out of the bed, her daughter Jill O'Gorman told the court.Mrs O'Gorman said it was only when she visited the nursing home to pick up some items for her mother in hospital that she learnt about the incident.
As a nurse told her that her mother had fallen from her bed, another nurse interrupted and said she should "tell the truth about the incident", Mrs O'Gorman said.
The second nurse then told her "mum was pulled out of her bed by another resident as opposed to falling out of her bed" she told the inquest.
Vic: Nursing home staff lied about woman's injuries, court Australian Associated Press General News October 10, 2005
An investigation of files revealed that the resident who allegedly assaulted Mrs Woolcock was legally blind, physically and verbally aggressive, resistive and disorientated.
Oct 2005 Aggressive residents
The team also found the nursing home failed to consistently record or act upon residents being physically and verbally aggressive to others.
Care home blasted Death unveils risks Herald-Sun October 12, 2005
Both Chelsea Park and Chelsea Nursing Home were purchased by DCA at the end of 2004.
Leading diversified healthcare company DCA Group Ltd announced today the acquisition of two aged care facilities located near Melbourne.
Nov 2004 DCA buys both Chelsea homes
Currently known as Chelsea Park and Chelsea Private, the properties between them operate 244 beds and are in Kingston, about 30 kilometres south of central Melbourne.
DCA Group to acquire two aged heathcare units Australian Associated Press Financial News Wire November 15, 2004
It is now called Amity at Edithvale.
Ocy 2005 A name change
Care home blasted Death unveils risks Herald-Sun October 12, 2005
For Updates:- A good way to check for recent developments in aged care is to go to the aged care crisis group's search page and enter the name of the company, nursing home or key words relating to any other matter in the search box. Most significant press reports are flagged there. The aged care crisis web site has recently been restructured and some of the older links used from this site may not work.
Web Page
History
This page created Sept 2006 by
Michael
Wynne
