MEMO: Whiddon Wingham Employees

3 June 2022

Dear Team,

As you will be aware there was a site audit conducted by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission from the 10th-12th May, 2022. We have received feedback from the Audit and as a result there are several issues that need to be addressed.

The Auditors picked up issues with the following:-

  1. Staff compliance to Mask Wearing – As a reminder staff must wear their masks covering their nose and mouth and avoid touching their mask while it is on.
  2. Bare below the elbow – Infection control practices were breached and staff were observed to be wearing long sleeves, have watches and other jewellery on and staff were observed to have long acrylic nails. It is essential that staff comply with Whiddon’s “Bare below the elbow” strategy to help minimise the risk of infection to not only our residents, but also to eachother.
  3. Documentation and Sharing of Information at handover – In some areas our documentation was lacking and importantly, specific resident related strategies to minimise behaviours was not shared adequately at handover. Moving forward, we will revisit how we share this important information to ensure that this is passed on to all of our team members to assist with behaviour management strategies.
  4. Education – It was identified that many of Wingham’s staff have not completed their Mandatory Training. As a reminder it is also a condition of employment that staff keep up to date with their Mandatory Training requirements. As a result of this, all staff will be required to complete Mandatory Training on the following subjects by September 1st
    1. Complaints Management
    2. Dignity of Risk
    3. Infection Control
    4. SIRS
    5. Restrictive Practices
    6. Quality Standards
  5. Facility Cleanliness and Clutter – The general cleanliness and clutter throughout the facility was raised by the Auditors. It is important that we all work together on this as many of the issues identified were a result of poor staff practice eg wet towels left on the floor, rubbish on the floor, broken items left in use, wheelchairs and other equipment dirty.
  6. Smoking Areas – Please note that both residents and staff can only smoke in designated smoking areas. This is to ensure appropriate distance is kept from equipment, the building and chemicals.

Please note that these matters can be addressed fairly quickly and easily, however we do need to come together to achieve this. By doing this we will also help support our residents to live a comfortable and safe life.

Kerrie Paul
Deputy Director of Care Service
Whiddon Wingham