The Department of Health has issued Bupa South Hobart with sanctions after an audit found it failed to comply with the quality agency’s standards.
According to the ABC, Bupa South Hobart was audited by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency in September.
Both Bupa and a spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed that sanctions have been imposed on Bupa South Hobart.
Jan Adams, Managing Director, Bupa Villages and Aged Care, told HelloCare that Bupa was sorry for the facility’s “shortcomings”.
“Bupa apologises to our South Hobart care home residents and their families, following sanctions being placed on the home by the Department of Health. We are deeply sorry that this has happened and are committed to promptly addressing the issues identified.
“We accept that there have been shortcomings at the care home. This does not represent the high standards of aged care that Bupa stands for and that our residents deserve. We are committed to making significant improvements at the home and regaining the trust of our residents and their families.
“We are working with the Department to address the issues detailed in their report, and we will be keeping residents and their families informed as we progress.
Bupa has appointed a ‘consumer champion’ Beth Wilson, former Health Services Commissioner of Victoria, to give residents and their families a say in shaping the care the company delivers.
“Ms Wilson has been talking with residents and families across a number of our homes to consider how to improve our focus on what matters to residents, and their families.
“Ms Wilson will be attending the South Hobart care home in the coming weeks.”
At the time of writing, details of the sanctions were not available on the My Aged Care site.
The spokesperson for the Department said the operator is required to meet with and inform residents of the sanctions and the measures being taken to address any identified shortcomings before details of the “non-compliance” can be released more widely.
“It is important that residents and relatives of Bupa South Hobart are the first to be informed on any non-compliance in the home, and as such the department will not release information of non-compliance until after the provider has met with residents and relatives,” the spokesperson said.
More details of the audit, including the quality standards Bupa South Hobart did not meet, will be published after the meeting with residents and relatives.
“It is the responsibility of all providers to meet the required standards and where they fail to do this, there is a regulatory framework in place to bring them back into compliance as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
According to the My Aged Care website, Bupa has three aged care facilities under sanction: Bupa Traralgon, Bupa Seaforth, and Bupa Woodend.
The addition of Bupa South Hobart means Bupa currently has four aged care facilities under sanction from the Department of Health.
Bupa Aged Care operates more than 70 facilities around Australia and has more than 6,700 residents.
Bupa Aged Care is a subsidiary of UK-based Bupa, a global healthcare organisation with operations in 190 companies.
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