A Queensland nursing home where dozens of residents and staff have been infected with COVID-19 is the subject of a non-compliance notice for failing to meet aged care quality standards, including one relating to its COVID-19 outbreak management plan.
Jeta Gardens aged care facility at Bethania in Logan, south of Brisbane, has recorded 94 residents and 80 staff as having caught SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the federal Health Department's latest report into COVID-19 and aged care.
That is the highest number of infections among any of the 220 aged care facilities in Queensland experiencing active outbreaks.
Five of the COVID-19-infected Jeta Garden residents have died during the Omicron wave.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) issued Jeta Gardens with a non-compliance order in October last year, identifying "significant improvements needed".
A performance report into the aged care facility, written after an assessment of the nursing home in August, found "deficiencies in the service's preparedness for a COVID-19 outbreak".
The report, published on the ACQSC website, found Jeta Gardens' outbreak management plan lacked detail and noted problems were also identified in a previous performance assessment dated March 2021.
In the latest report, Jeta Gardens' COVID-19 outbreak management plan was found wanting, in terms of clinical handover plans if a surge workforce was needed, and lacked detailed processes for the first 24 hours of an outbreak based on Health Department guidance.
The report noted Jeta Gardens had responded to the non-compliance notice by advising the ACQSC the outbreak management plan had been updated with further detail.
But the non-compliance notice is still listed as being "current".
In a statement, the ACQSC said the notice published on the MyAgedCare website would be archived once it was satisfied the identified problem areas had been addressed.
If the aged care provider could not demonstrate it was making progress on making the required improvements, the ACQSC may consider further regulatory action, such as applying sanctions, shortening the aged care facility's accreditation period, or revoking approved provider status.
"The nature and intensity of the commission's monitoring of the provider's efforts and outcomes depend on the areas of non-compliance and the associated risks to residents," the ACQSC said.
The August assessment team heard concerns regarding call-bell response times at Jeta Gardens and observed "distressed" residents waiting for assistance, indicating problems with staffing.
"The service did not have a review process for call-bell data, other than being aware of the response times," the performance report said.
The five COVID-19 deaths at Jeta Gardens are among 114 Queensland aged care residents who have died during the Omicron wave.
Aged care residents make up more than half the known 225 Queensland COVID-19 deaths.
Sixteen COVID-19 deaths were recorded in Queensland yesterday, including seven aged care residents.
Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said only two of the 16 had received booster shots.
Jeta Gardens did not respond to questions provided by the ABC yesterday, including how many of its residents had received COVID-19 boosters.
Booster clinic held on Monday
But in a statement last night, the federal Health Department said an in-reach booster clinic was held at Jeta Gardens on Monday this week.
The department said since last Thursday, Jeta Gardens had also been provided with eight clinical care workers under aged care surge workforce arrangements.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said while 56.6 per cent of eligible Queenslanders had received their booster shots, it was unclear how many of the state's aged care residents had received theirs.
"It is up to the Commonwealth to report the data of how many aged care residents have received their booster," Ms D'Ath said.
"We don't have that data."
Anyone with concerns about the care being provided at an aged care service should contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission by phoning 1800 951 822 or via its website.
