Bupa appoints independent experts and consumer advocates
Bupa is taking three key actions in its aged care business so we can continue to deliver quality care to residents and families.
Independent experts and consumer advocates
Bupa knows that giving our residents, their families and our own employees a greater voice in shaping aged care for the better is the right thing to do.
Bupa has, as a result, taken three key actions in its aged care business so we can continue to deliver quality care to residents and families, and address the recent issue at our Seaforth home.
First, an external expert will review the shocking events at our Seaforth care home recently. The behaviour displayed in the video footage goes against everything Bupa stands for, and is not representative of the quality of care shown by our people for our residents and their families there.
Our residents are always at the heart of what we do, and in the vast majority of cases the care we provide reflects this. Recent events have shown we sometimes fail to live up to the high standards we set, and we are committed to addressing this.
Second, we have appointed an independent consumer expert to consult with residents and families across our homes to consider how to improve our focus on what matters to residents, and their families. The first meeting will be at our Traralgon home in regional Victoria.
Third, we have created a new consumer advocacy and engagement role within Bupa Aged Care to make sure any lessons learned are embedded into our business.
Seaforth
At Seaforth, we have appointed an independent expert to conduct a full review of the home.
The review will consider all aspects of the safety and support we provide to our residents at the home. It will provide recommendations about improvements we can make at Seaforth to address and allay any concerns from our residents, their families and our people.
The review will start immediately and we will have findings to consider and action within weeks. The findings and recommendations will be made public.
While we invest our full attention to the matters at hand, we are prioritising our focus and attention to our current residents.
Once we have undertaken a full review of the care delivery and services in the home, we will then make an informed decision regarding ongoing admissions.
Independent resident and family champion
We have also appointed health advocate Beth Wilson as an independent consumer expert so residents and families have a strong champion at Bupa.
She is the former Health Services Commissioner of Victoria. Her role will be to engage with our residents and their families independently of Bupa. Ms Wilson will be their voice back into Bupa, so we can act on the concerns raised with her.
Ms Wilson was previously president of the Mental Health Review Board, a senior legal member of the Social Security Appeals Board and legal member of the WorkCare Appeals Board.
Ms Wilson has held various positions with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, the Law Reform Commission and the Victoria Law Foundation.
Consumer advocates
In addition, we have created a new consumer advocacy and engagement role within our aged care business in Australia and New Zealand. They will act as the internal voice of our residents and their families.
The consumer advocates will help to embed the lessons learned from Ms Wilson’s work, and will continue to engage with residents and families to provide opportunities for Bupa to improve its care. We are currently recruiting to fill these roles.
These actions will help us ensure Bupa continues to provide care, and a safe and supportive environment, of the quality we aim to deliver for all our residents in Australia and New Zealand.
