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Industry Feedback Alert - Bed Poles

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The Department of Health and Ageing has developed a Industry feedback alert highlighting the NSW Coroner’s finalised findings of an inquest related to the use of bed poles in residential aged care homes.

This alert is also available on the Aged Care Complaints Scheme website.

Please see attached the alert.

Should you have any questions about this alert, please email:
Aged Care Complaints Branch
Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance
Email the Aged Care Complaints Scheme at agedcomplaintscomms@health.gov.au

From the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance (Aged Care Complaints Scheme)

2 April 2012

Who is this alert for?

All Australian Government subsidised aged care providers

What is an industry education alert?

Industry education alerts outline an issue, trend or risk we have identified through an analysis of our complaints data or another source of information, and provide suggestions of areas that aged care providers may wish to review within their service. Alerts are not advice or directions.

Issue

The department is alerting all Australian Government subsidised aged care services to the NSW Coroner’s finalised findings of an inquest related to the use of bed poles in residential aged care homes.

Observations

The NSW Coroner’s report recommended that aged care services should not use KA524 bed poles due to unacceptable risk.
The report also highlighted the following considerations:

• Aged care services must have adequate staff to patient ratios overnight.
  • It is an approved provider responsibility under s54-1(b) of the Aged Care Act 1997 “to maintain an adequate number of appropriately skilled staff to ensure that the care needs of care recipients are met.”
  • Schedule 1 of the Quality of Care Principles 1997 stipulates that “At least one responsible person is continuously on call and in reasonable proximity to render emergency assistance.”
• Aged care staff must immediately check a resident for signs of life in an emergency situation, be competent in performing resuscitations and be aware of emergency care protocols.

Suggestions for your consideration

While the NSW Coroner’s findings are recommendations and not legislated requirements, we ask that you:

• read the full report
• make your key personnel aware of the information in the report and this alert
• take action if appropriate.

In an alert on 8 July 2010 the department recommended that when mobility aids such as bed poles are used:

• they are used appropriately following the assessment by an appropriate health professional
• placement of the mobility aids and the risks associated with use have been assessed and documented
• their use is frequently monitored.

Aged Care Complaints Branch
Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance
Email the Aged Care Complaints Scheme at agedcomplaintscomms@health.gov.au, or Aged Care Complaints Scheme Website