Most issues at rest-home addressed, recent audit shows

An audit carried out at Whalan Lodge in May shows how far the Kurow rest-home has come in a short space of time, its facility manager says.

On May 15, a surveillance audit was undertaken at the rest-home, which followed a certification audit conducted in May 2018 at the 14-bed, trust-owned facility.

A report in the Otago Daily Times on Saturday contained information related to the 2018 audit, not the most recent appraisal, and conflated the two.

The Otago Daily Times apologises for that error and any distress it may have caused staff, residents and the wider Kurow community.

The earlier audit found 15 separate issues requiring action by the home, eight of which posed a moderate risk to residents.

The most recent audit noted 12 of the 15 issues had been addressed.

Remaining areas identified for improvement, and noted in the surveillance audit, included work on residents' care plans, the monitoring of "challenging behaviours'' and the implementation and evaluation of activity plans.

Whalan Lodge facility manager Sarah Green earlier said the 2018 audit was a "big learning curve'' for the home and was encouraged by the most recent results.

"The auditors were very pleased with this audit and how far we've come,'' she said.

Whalan Lodge Trust chairman Barney McCone said the most recent audit was positive.

"It's probably a reflection of our manager and our staff really.

"In a situation like we have got you are only as good as the people you employ and they are the ones your reputation is based on. It's a credit to them, really.

"We are pleased with the way it's running. It's going good,'' Mr McCone said.

daniel.birchfield@odt.co.nz

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