Rann Government fails Federal test

The State’s mental health and aged care systems are in crisis today after a Federal Government agency imposed sanctions on the State run Makk and McLeay Nursing Home in Oakden.

The sanctions, officially imposed last month, remove Federal funding for the 55 bed home for people aged 65 and over with psychiatric disabilities, part of the Mental Health Oakden campus.

“This is an extraordinary assessment of the failure of this State Government’s ability to manage mental health and aged care,” said Shadow Mental Health Minister Michelle Lensink.

“Only last month the Government was claiming that the Makk and McLeay home would take some of the beds from the Glenside closure,” Ms Lensink said.

“Now we find that the Federal Government assesses the facility as sub-standard.

The Aged Care Accreditation Agency failed the facility in December in the key areas of “physical environment and safety systems” and “behaviour management”.

After warnings early in 2007, a later assessment imposed sanctions that withdrew any Federal funding for new residents and insisted on the appointment an adviser for six months.

“The agency had threatened to revoke the status of approved provider of aged care services unless that adviser was appointed,” she said.

“The approved provider is listed as the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service, so we would have the incredible situation of a Federal Labor Government saying the State Labor Government can’t run an aged care service.

“This must be very upsetting for staff, residents and relatives. It must be fixed post-haste.

“This Government’s record is atrocious – they can’t run a train system, they can’t manage water and they can’t manage our health system.”