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Health Ministry Accountable for Rest Home Standards
Barbara Stewart MP
Spokesperson for
Health
29 August 2013
Health Ministry Accountable for Rest Home Standards
The Ministry of Health must start enforcing better standards in rest homes, says New Zealand First Health Spokesperson Barbara Stewart.
The Ministry’s website advertises itself as “The Government's principal advisor on health and disability: improving, promoting and protecting the health of all New Zealanders”.
Mrs Stewart says she has recently seen a case of rest home bedding falling apart and the bathroom left in an appalling state.
“This particular rest home had recently been audited by the Ministry of Health, and despite having old and damaged mattresses, unhygienic toilets, and being accessed by a driveway with potholes it was deemed to be of an acceptable standard to accommodate the elderly.
“The announcement that audits will be posted online is a good start, but the audits need to be more thorough to actually make an improvement.
“The Ministry is falling down on the job completely as far as the elderly in rest homes are concerned.
“It’s time for some action and an improvement in living standards for some very vulnerable people,” says Mrs Stewart.
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