The 60-bed aged care facility at Millicent’s Sheoak Lodge has been found to be non-compliant in three standards following its latest three-yearly accreditation visit by the Australian Aged Care Quality and Safety Authority.

It is the first time in its 27-year history it has not been compliant in all standards and remedial steps were immediately taken.

Sheoak Lodge has met the vast majority of the 44 requirements after intense scrutiny including a three-day inspection by independent assessors early in this financial year.

As is standard practice, their findings have been released to the public and their 37-page report can be read online.

The assessors detailed their concerns with aspects of the care provided to three residents referred to as “A”, “B” and “C”.

It also contains many positive statements about the level of care provided to residents as well as the areas which require improvement.

The Sheoak Lodge licence has now been extended until September 2024.

“This is a fantastic outcome and a testament to the quality of care provided by the staff in the facility,” said a hospital spokesperson in a recent Millicent Hospital newsletter.

As is required by law, all private, not-for-profit and government aged care facilities must meet stringent standards by independent assessors in order to receive the necessary government licences.

Sheoak Lodge was built alongside Millicent and District Hospital in 1995 and is now operated by SA Health and its Limestone Coast Local Health Network.

Member for MacKillop Nick McBride told The SE Voice that it was vitally important the State Government maintains the highest possible standards of care for the most vulnerable older people.

“I am pleased that Sheoak Lodge has stepped up and rectified any non-compliance issues that were found in the audit,” Mr McBride said.

“The Marshall Government has significantly improved aged care services across the state and will continue to work to ensure that older people get the high-quality care they deserve.”

The LCLHN also provided a response to this newspaper.

“Our first priority is, and always has been, the safety and wellbeing of our aged care residents,” stated the LCLHN.

“Sheoak Lodge underwent full accreditation in July in line with the revised Aged Care Quality and Safety Standards.

“During this visit, three standards were not met and highlighted the need for improved processes around documentation and better systems for informing staff of residents’ individual needs.

“We took immediate action to rectify these concerns by updating reports on our system, re-training staff on reporting processes and data entry, and implementing measures to streamline documentation processes.

“An action plan has been created for continuous improvement and we are regularly reviewing our procedures and feedback from residents and relatives to ensure that we can continue to provide high quality aged care services to the community.

“One of the ways we are improving our service delivery is through the Regional LeeCare Expansion project, which involves upgrading our current system to enable bedside data entry and electronic medication charts.

“This upgrade will support our staff to update clinical records contemporaneously, ensuring up to date clinical information is available at the bedside to inform care and support the delivery of high-level health care services to our aged care residents.

“Sheoak Lodge has a proud history of providing high level care to its community and we are focused on taking every measure necessary to ensure full compliance.”

The other nursing home in Millicent is the not-for-profit Boneham Aged Care Services and the three-yearly assessment is now due.