Thousands of aged care incidents, deaths and neglect tracked across Hunter

Data prepared for the Newcastle Herald reveals that 44 aged care residents from across the region have died 'unexpected deaths'.

The details of those deaths are contained in serious incidents reports submitted to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC).

While the details of those deaths remain confidential, the extent of that and other serious issues across the region has been made public for the first time.

The definition of an unexpected death is "where reasonable steps are not taken by a service provider to prevent the death, or it occurs as a result of care or services provided, or a failure to provide care".

It can mean a provider has not taken steps to prevent or mitigate an incident which caused a death, when a resident dies after being injured and no action was taken to assess or treat those injuries, or when a provider has not taken timely and adequate steps to assess and treat the resident.

The serious incidents reports for the 18 months to the end of 2023, show there were more than 3,800 serious incidents self-reported by aged care residential service providers in the region.

That figure includes 2606 instances of 'unreasonable use of force' by staff, 435 instances of neglect, and 213 instances of 'unlawful contact or inappropriate sexual conduct'.

The Serious Incidents Response Scheme began in 2021 requiring all providers to report serious incidents to the commission.

Chief executive officer of the Older Persons Advocacy Network Craig Gear said it was important to get underneath those figures and understand and unpack what has been happening.

"We do want people to report, and to not feel worried about reporting, but what is really important is that there is a response, not that the response is reporting," Mr Gear said.

"Seeing those numbers around unexplained or unexpected deaths is really disturbing, and it is appropriate that older people have the same rights as other Australians who die to have a coroner's involvement or an investigation where that is appropriate.

"We need to use this as an opportunity to see what's happened. There is probably a little bit of ageism that sits in this where people are thought to be older so they are going to die anyway.

"It is really important that we keep an appropriate oversight of this system to make sure that where there is an unexplained death, that is investigated, investigated appropriately locally, and that there is a coroner involved or police involved in situations which demand that as well."

Mr Gear said the serious incident reports were potentially highlighting the fact there wasn't enough appropriately trained staff.

While OPAN and older people's advocacy services welcomed the requirement for a 24/7 nursing presence in all homes that did not mean there had been an appropriate level of upskilling of people, particularly in areas such as falls and dementia, he said.

"It's also important that when we look at the unreasonable use of force, we are making sure again that we are investigating the root causes of this," Mr Gear said.

"Is it about not having the appropriate behaviour supports in place for people with dementia, is it making sure that people are accessing aged care advocacy services, like the NSW Senior rights service."

People should be aware that they can call the aged care advocacy line on 1800 700 600 to access advocates who are there to help people when they might be concerned about an incident, Mr Gear said.

In the second quarter of 2023-24, unreasonable use of force accounted for 56 per cent of all notifications to ACQSC. Around 90 per cent of those notifications were incidents between residents.

Aged Care Justice chief executive officer, Anna Willis, said there appeared to be no system in place for ACQSC to take action over unexpected deaths.

"We are still concerned that the process has not changed since before the Royal Commission despite the fact that there is increased reporting," Ms Willis said. "That is not a solution.

"This issue of medical support for people that are vulnerable doesn't seem to be prioritised and there doesn't seem to be a good solution - including access to doctors, which is a problem in aged care."

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Release of regionally-specific data to the Herald coincides with the start of the federal government's nationwide campaign to raise awareness of elder abuse.

Beginning Sunday, July 28, the $4.8 million Abuse of Older People Awareness Campaign will run on multiple platforms - including television and social media - and in health clinics across the country.

It highlights the various types of elder abuse which can include physical, psychological, emotional, financial, and sexual abuse - psychological abuse being the most common, and the fact that perpetrators of elder abuse are often family members - mostly adult children.

Launching the campaign last Monday (July 21), Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus described elder abuse as a shameful and often hidden form of cruelty and mistreatment.

"It is ugly. It is unacceptable. And it must be eliminated," Mr Dreyfus said.

In 2021, Australia's first National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study found that approximately one in six older Australians had experienced some form of abuse in the previous 12 months. Most - 61 per cent - did not seek help or advice.

The CEO of Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia, Patricia Sparrow, said awareness raising was just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to addressing the serious issue.

"Systemic issues like ageism mean that all too often elder abuse is overlooked or dismissed," Ms Sparrow said.

"Anything that helps bring the issue to the forefront of people's minds and provides practical tools to address it is very welcomed."