TROUBLE-plagued aged-care provider Bupa has apologised after its Campbelltown facility was sanctioned by the aged care watchdog.
It is the 12th Bupa facility sanctioned across the country in the last 12 months, prompting calls from an aged-care advocate for stronger financial penalties for providers which consistently fail to meet standards.
The facility was sanctioned in May after failing 22 of 44 standards.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission held “serious concerns” about areas including pain and medication management, nutrition and hydration, staff development and behavioural management.
The sanctions came just seven months after it met all 44 standards and had its accreditation for three years extended following an audit last October.
A Bupa spokeswoman said it took the sanctions imposed against its facilities “extremely seriously”.
“Our residents deserve better and we are genuinely sorry that in a number of our homes, we have fallen short of the high standards we expect,” she said.
A dozen Bupa facilities in Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and the ACT have been sanctioned since July last year.
