Dunne Peter: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDunne Peter: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 03 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13150. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) to theAssociate Minister of Health: What specific “corrective actions” will theMalvina Major Retirement Village be required to undertake following the recent Ministry of Health spot audit?Hon JO GOODHEW (Associate Minister of Health): Ryman Healthcare Ltd the owner of theMalvina Major Retirement Village is required after an unannounced inspection on 30 July this year to undertake corrective actions to ensure improvement and compliance with the Health and disability services (general) Standards in the following areas: management and documentation of complaints quality and risk management processes for infection prevention and control assessment of residents care planning specific to individual residents and the overall standard of care provided to residents. These corrective actions must be achieved within the specified time frames set out in the provider’s certification schedule. The first due date for corrective actions is 5 September 2013 but the provider may implement corrective actions ahead of the required time frame. The Ministry of Health and the Capital and Coast District Health Board are monitoring progress. The full list and detail of corrective actions arecontained in a six-page document which can be found on the Ministry of Health’s website.Hon Peter Dunne: How will the actions that have been agreed to be monitored to ensure that they are actually achieved within the time frames that have been specified in the audit that the Minister referred to?Hon JO GOODHEW: The Ministry of Health will be closely involved in monitoring the changes required of Ryman Healthcare in light of this distressing case. The distressing events were found by inspection to have been substantiated. Steps to ensure improvements and a time frame for change have been made clear and the district health board will work with Ryman Healthcare to ensure their implementation. The ministry also keeps a close eye on progress. If the corrective actions are not achieved the ministry may take action under the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001.Hon Peter Dunne: In light of this distressing case will the Ministry of Health be making any changes to its overall auditing procedures to ensure that these types of situations can be prevented from recurring in future instances?Hon JO GOODHEW: Since National came to Government back in 2008 we have taken a number of initiatives including the publication of audit summaries online introduction of spot audits and third-party accreditation of auditors. We are also rolling out a comprehensive assessment tool. It would be fair to say that despite all of that when a certification audit happens and midway between that—the audits can in fact be given a 1-year certification right up to a 4-year certification; that will give you an idea of how many actions need to be changed—there is a spot audit as well. Despite that things can still go wrong in rest homes. Therefore we very much rely on the public to contact the Ministry of Health or their district health board if they are concerned about anything because something could go wrong the day after an audit is conducted. So this is very much a partnership between the public and the audit and regulatory environment.