6 June 2001 Media Release

Minister asks for urgent report on care of elderly

Associate Minister of Health Ruth Dyson has asked the Ministry of Health for an urgent report on audit processes and other matters relating to the care of older people in rest homes and dementia units.

"I am very concerned about issues raised in the media and elsewhere about the quality of some residential care for the elderly," Ms Dyson said today.

"However, I only received the delegation for Older Persons Health yesterday, as part of my responsibilities as Associate Minister of Health. So it would be irresponsible to make a decision today about the best way to address these concerns, and whether an inquiry is needed."

Ms Dyson said she had asked the Ministry of Health for an urgent report about the effectiveness of its audit processes in addressing concerns about the quality of residential care for older people.

Ms Dyson said she considered the matter to be a high priority.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>