'Ducking, weaving' appals couple

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/The Press

PAPER WAR: Mike and Sandra Moore with the paper-trail that led to a report into the death of Sandra's father, Gordon Crackett, in a Christchurch rest home.

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The family of a man who died after massive weight loss in the Villa Gardens rest home say a Health and Disability Commission (HDC) investigation was a "waste of time".

Sandra Moore took a complaint to the commission after the death of her father, Gordon Crackett, at the Christchurch rest home in August last year.

The commission's report, which was released yesterday, said Moore claimed her father had not been adequately nourished, was "neglected" and "chemically restrained" with sedatives while in the home's hospital care.

In the report, deputy commissioner Rae Lamb found the home's owners, Oceania, had breached codes of care for Crackett. Failings were caused by "staffing and organisational difficulties" at the Addington home, Lamb said.

Crackett's son-in-law, Mike Moore, said the commission had been the family's last port of call, but it had been a "waste of time". The report failed to give any recommendations for how Oceania could improve standards of care, he said.

"There's so much ducking and weaving that's gone on in this organisation that it's hard to have faith," Moore said.

"We don't believe this report is substantial enough to do anything. It has no merit."

The report said an autopsy found Crackett died of natural causes but was abnormally underweight at 43 kilograms.

He had a 15mm-diameter pressure sore on the back of his right heel and healed skin lacerations on his left forearm and right wrist.

Lamb found it was unclear whether lack of care contributed to Crackett's "dramatic" decline in the home's hospital wing, but there were "clear failings" in his care.

Staff reported being under-supported and overloaded, and issues raised with management were not acted on.

She recommended the company write a letter of apology to Crackett's family and provide evidence of changes implemented at the home.

Sandra Moore said she had not accepted Oceania's apology but would meet chief operating manager Geoff Hipkins.

"I'm not happy with it [the report]," she said.

"This is a tragedy. There's nothing that can bring my father back. Nothing can erase the memory of an emaciated man lying in the bed who lost 8kg in 10 days."

The corporate model for rest-home care was putting shareholder returns above the wellbeing of residents, she said.

She wanted the Government to introduce legislation for staffing ratios in rest homes and for more information to be made publicly available on their performance.

The Moores were considering civil action against Oceania.

"All that's left to me is to tell Dad's story and hope in the telling of it somebody will pick it up and say, 'We need to do something with this'," Sandra Moore said.

Lamb said the commission had treated the family's complaint "very seriously".

"It was formally investigated and has resulted in substantial and ongoing change," she said.

The issues raised had been followed up by the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) and government certification body HealthCert.

"If [Moore] has further specific concerns, I would welcome her to bring those to us," Lamb said.

The decision to name the provider in the report was a "significant step" and a copy had been sent to other providers to ensure "lessons are shared", she said.

The CDHB's planning and funding team leader for older persons' health, Toni Gutschlag, said Villa Gardens had made "significant changes to service delivery and strengthened clinical leadership and focus".

"The CDHB has changed its approach to issues-based audits and now works closely with providers, where concerns have been raised, in a clinically focused process led by a registered nurse," Gutschlag said.