Auckland care home asked to apologise after 95-year-old woman found with ants on her face while in its care

An aged care home in Auckland has been found in breach of Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code) after a 95-year-old woman was found with ants on her neck and face while in their care.

Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall today released a report which outlined the incident at Bupa’s Hayman Care Home in January 2019.

The report states the woman was receiving hospital-level care at the time of the incident.

“She had multiple co-morbidities and was incapacitated and reliant on others for all aspects of her care,” the report states.

“Initially, a few ants were noticed in the woman’s room, and staff sprayed insecticide and cleaned the area. They did not locate the source of the ants or document and report the ants on this date.

“The following day, the woman’s niece visited, and reported finding several dozen ants crawling on her aunt’s face and neck.

“She said that when staff arrived to attend to the issue, none of them acknowledged the woman in any way, instead focusing on their search for the source of the ants. The nurse involved told HDC that he did not see ants on the woman but did see ants on her sheets.”

The care home acknowledged staff focused on the source of the ant infestation rather than the immediate provision of care of the 95-year-old woman.

However, it says staff did acknowledge the woman “in a non-formal verbal manner”.

Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall was critical of how staff responded to the incident.

"[The woman] had complex care needs owing to her various co-morbidities and limited mobility and communication," Wall says.

"She was reliant on [care home] staff to provide all her cares and, as such, was a particularly vulnerable consumer… [Her] vulnerability made it critically important that the care provided to her respected her dignity and independence."

The Deputy Commissioner made a number of recommendations, including that the care home operator provide HDC with an update on the changes made since these events; undertake a random audit of 15 patients regarding documentation; and provide a written apology to the woman and her family.