The nursing home where grandmother Clare Nowland was Tasered by police has been deemed to be non-complaint by the regulator over a separate matter.
Yallambee Lodge, an aged care home in the town of Cooma in southern NSW, had its risk management systems and practices ruled non-compliant by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission last month.
Hit with a Taser
The facility was where Ms Nowland, 95, who suffered dementia, was allegedly hit with a Taser by Senior Constable Kristian White on May 17.
She died in hospital a week later from head injuries surrounded by some of her eight children, 24 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.
An unannounced assessment of the facility had been conducted to check whether it was abiding by the Aged Care Quality Standards on July 5.
The report from the commission’s assessment revealed that a separate incident had occurred in May, sparking the performance audit.
This was during the same month Ms Nowland had been tasered. Details were scarce, but the report described the incident as being a ‘priority one’ matter.
The report
A priority one is a matter that could have caused ‘physical or psychological harm and/or discomfort that would usually require some form of medical or psychological treatment’, according to NSW Health.
It may also be ‘where there are reasonable grounds to report the incident to police’.
The report said the facility had not yet finalised its investigation into the incident.
Besides the non-complaint ruling, it was found that Yallambee Lodge had failed to adequate report the matter to the commission.
‘This is evidenced by the provider not meeting mandatory Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) notification and reporting requirements for a Priority 1 notifiable incident occurring in May 2023,’ the report read.
The commission said there were ‘gaps in the service’s internal incident investigation and reporting in relation to the notifiable incident’.
They added separately that the facility ‘did not always identify and respond to abuse and neglect of consumers’.
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Yallambee Lodge has since told the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission that it was taking steps reviewing and improving its services including delivery of care and reporting of incidents following the audit.
It comes as Ms Nowland’s family launches civil proceedings against the state government in the wake of her death.
In their statement of claim lodged in court, the executor of Ms Nowland’s estate allege NSW Police acted unreasonably and had attempted to downplay what had happened in front of Yallambee Lodge staff, according to the Daily Telegraph.
