More than 30 nursing homes owned by an aged-care group will be investigated after patients at one of its facilities were found to be malnourished and dehydrated.
Victoria Police are also investigating management at the Kirralee nursing home in East Ballarat after a damning Federal Government assessment of the centre owned by the Aged Care Services of Australia Group.
Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot said, ''The fact is, this is just unacceptable, what's happening there, and that's why I've taken this immediate action in relation to this particular home and also an investigation of the other more than 30 homes owned by this company.''
She said that as well as severe sanctions already imposed, the home could be closed unless nursing practices improved.
Ms Elliot said a spot inspection by the department found a number of problems in eating, drinking, clinical care and pain management.
Kirralee executive director Julie Reed defended the care given to residents, but admitted the service could do better.
Ms Reed said the non-compliance related to ''insufficient documentation of the care we have given to residents, rather than insufficient care''.
The government inspectors found the facility did not comply with 33 of 44 areas.
Ms Reed said Aged Care Services bought Kirralee 10 months ago and had worked to improve the quality of care.
''We acknowledge that we can and will do better,'' she said. ''The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency has identified a number of areas where it believes our practices need to improve, and we have already made considerable progress in doing this.
''I deeply regret the way in which this matter has been publicly highlighted and I apologise to any resident or family member distressed by this. If we are contacted by the police in relation to this matter we will also cooperate fully.''
The inspection found 10 patients in the 100-bed home were significantly underweight, two dementia patients, aged 98 and 86, weighing less than 25kg.
One woman said her 88-year-old mother had lost about 50kg during her 14 months at the home.
Margaret Barkas said of her mother, Mavis, ''She's down to about five stone [31kg] and she was a very strong woman before, she would have been 12 or 13 stone [82kg] before. So, it's a great deal of loss.''
Several other relatives visiting residents yesterday said they had no complaints about conditions in the home. Louise Block, whose husband's grandparents aged in their mid-80s both live in the home, said her only complaint was there were not enough nurses. ''I think they are quite well looked after here,'' Ms Block said.
Ms Elliot will investigate whether orders given to Kirralee in 2006 to record patients' weight and improve palliative care and communication had been complied with. She declined to say whether the inspection was prompted by the death of a patient who was admitted to hospital with severe malnutrition about a month ago. AAP