DHB accused of resthome 'witch hunt'

File photo / CityLife North

A major elderly care operator has accused Palmerston North health authorities of a "witch hunt" over the closure of a rest home where a 103-year-old woman was photographed tied to the bed with a filthy bed sheet.

Twelve elderly patients were relocated when MidCentral District Health Board (DHB) yesterday terminated its contract with the 25-bed Rose A Lea Rest home.

An emergency inspection team last week found problems with how the home handled infection control, duty of care, health and safety, and medication for its elderly clients.

The investigation was sparked by whistleblower Julie Ireland, who obtained cellphone photos of 103-year-old Myra Letts tied to her bed.

Mrs Letts died on Monday last week from problems believed to be unrelated to her treatment.

Ms Ireland was given the photos which showed the elderly woman tied to her bed with a sheet. Unqualified staff were left to administer morphine and give insulin injections. Toilets and bathrooms were only cleaned once a week and faeces-soiled clothes were poorly washed, Ms Ireland said.

The home is owned and operated by Joyce and Bryan Wenmoth, who are not commenting on the matter.

But Bupa Care Services, which looks after more than 17,000 New Zealanders, said the process by the MidCentral DHB to close the home appeared to be hasty, reactive and "very much a witch hunt".

"The DHB response to poor care in the rest home was almost immediate closure. There doesn't appear to have been any reasonable attempt to give the rest home a chance to rectify the problems and work up to a standard of care that was acceptable," said Bupa Care Services chief executive Dwayne Crombie.

DHBs were the dominant funders of aged care and effectively determined the level of staffing and support in the industry, he said.

"They cannot wash their hands of any responsibility.

"This style of approach to a problem in healthcare appears to be a huge display of double standards. There are numerous instances of very poor care that come to light, many of them within DHB-owned institutions such as public hospitals, mental health services and community care."

The Aged Care Association also questioned whether the DHB acted too fast and too heavy handed.

There needed to be an independent inquiry into the home and also the DHB's reaction, said the association's chief executive Martin Taylor.

MidCentral DHB's funding general manager Mike Grant did not want to discuss specific accusations but did say the DHB had made the decision to close the home based on "compelling" evidence presented to it.

He said Ms Wenmoth had acknowledged there were issues at Rose A Lea which could not be quickly rectified.

"I think we probably need to take a step back and await the audit report," he said.

The draft audit findings are due back in 10 working days.

Another Palmerston North rest home owned by the Wenmoths, Rimu Lodge, is also facing an inquiry.

The DHB had appointed a temporary manager to Rimu Lodge while it was audited. The DHB had spoken to staff and residents and conditions there were satisfactory, Mr Grant said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Letts' family is more upset her privacy has been breached after the photos were published in newspapers and broadcast on television news.

Mrs Letts' daughter Bev Stone told Radio New Zealand the home was "wonderful" and unfairly targeted.

The family could not see anything wrong with the home's hygiene.

Mrs Stone said the rest home staff "went the extra mile" and her mother's leg was simply tied to keep it a bit straighter.

She was angry that the whistleblower could expose the family and Mrs Letts to the spotlight.

"It appals me that anyone can make a complaint without consulting the family first. We only buried Mum on Friday.

"I don't think anybody's got a right to do that."

- NZPA