An aged care home in northeast Adelaide has been placed under heightened supervision after an inspection in May 2025 identified issues related to the service’s use of restrictive practices.

A site audit of Disability SA Northgate aged care home, which has 23 residents, in November last year identified 10 residents had bed rails in place, five wore dignity suits, and nine were restrained with lap belts.

The audit found the home had used NDIS guidelines related to the use of physical restraint, rather than Aged Care Standards, and staff were not educated about the risks associated with the use of restrictive practices. Staff had also not gained consent from residents in relation to use of the restraints, and behaviour specialists had not been consulted.

The provider, the South Australian Department of Human Services, acknowledged the non-compliance, and were able to show the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission they were committed to reducing or eliminating the use of restrictive practices, developing a "comprehensive continuous improvement plan".

However, after the May visit, the provider was placed under "heightened supervision", Gary Rake, Deputy Commissioner, Regulatory Operations with the ACQSC, told The Weekly SOURCE. 

In June, the provider agreed to:

• stop taking new residents;
• appoint an advisor to help address its failures;
• provide targeted training to its staff, and
• improve its processes.

The ACQSC continues to meet regularly with the provider and is actively monitoring their progress.

Gary said, "To date no formal regulatory action has been taken because the provider has been willing and able to take swift and substantial action to address the identified problems and keep residents safe.

"We continue to closely monitor the service and engage with the provider on its progress. If provider fails to address issues or if we identify a provider is placing residents at risk, we will take further action."

Because no formal regulatory action has been triggered, Disability SA Northgate is rated 5 Stars for compliance and 4 Stars overall.

The Northgate facility is only a couple of kilometres from Oakden, where resident abuse at the Aged Mental Health Care Service aged care facility was one of the catalysts for the Aged Care Royal Commission. When Oakden closed in 2017 following multiple investigations, 14 residents were moved to Northgate and Northgate was placed under new leadership. The South Australian Government's Oakden report concluded, "What happened at Oakden must never be repeated."