The listed aged care provider is leading the way for the sector, setting up a new Board Risk Committee to provide the proper governance for issues arising from the Commission and expanding its existing whistle-blower hotline for staff – which is independently administered by Deloitte – to include residents and families.
Estia’s (EHE) chief executive Ian Thorley told the company’s annual general meeting that in the last 12 months, Estia had 112 accreditation audits or unannounced visits, which he said was expected given the size of the company.
He added that the Board has an active program of visiting homes, meeting directly with staff and residents to assess culture and operational standards and have visited a number of homes in NSW, QLD and VIC over the last year.
The move seems prescient considering the largest 100 aged care providers are now expected to report cases of substandard care to the Royal Commissioner by 7 January 2019.
