1 September 2022
The ANMF (SA Branch) says it is not surprised by the findings of an independent review which revealed an aged care CCTV trial failed to meet the needs of residents and staff.
It comes as we continue to advocate for more staff, stronger skills mix, better supervision, better training, substantially increased wages and workforce regulation to support the sector and our older Australians.
The review shows the 12-month trial, run by the former Liberal Government and carried out at two aged care sites between March 2021 and March 2022 was fraught with problems of technology accuracy, workload management, privacy concerns and delays.
CCTV cameras and sound recording devices were installed in common areas and bedrooms at Mount Pleasant Aged Care and Northgate House, with a new artificial intelligence-based technology used in a bid to detect certain visual and sound ‘triggers’ such as falls or calls for help.
The review found multiple issues with the selected AI technology including more than 12,000 ‘false’ alerts – more than 30 a day – of events that were regular movements or sounds, rather than events of concern.
There was an inability of the technology to reliably distinguish between staff kneeling and a resident falling. Staff noted the sheer volume of false alerts was “unexpected and unacceptable” leaving them “overwhelmed” and unable to respond to every alert in the final months of the trial – with at least one example of a resident fall, a ‘true’ alert, being ignored.
Staff also widely reported feeling uncomfortable about the impact these devices had on residents’ dignity, rather than having their own concerns about being monitored at work.
ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM told media she was “not surprised by the findings of the report”.
“We indicated from the outset that we thought the better investment would be more skilled staff, better supervision, better educational training, significantly better wages and a scheme of regulation - and we still hold that view today.
“It goes to show that computers and technology, whilst they can be useful, are definitely no substitute for the training and skills and dedication of nurses and care workers.
“What we really do need to do in order to support our elderly residents is to provide more staff and stronger skills mix to make sure they are receiving appropriate care. We are also very supportive of and have been lobbying for a long time for the regulation of the care workforce.
“We believe staff in the aged care sector are considerably underpaid given the crucial nature of their role. Poor remuneration remains a key barrier in its ability to attract and retain nurses and care workers.
“Clearly if you have got 12,000 false alarms sounding, that actually detracts from a staff member’s ability to deliver quality care, so from our perspective this trial has been a failure,’’ Ms Dabars said.
“Aged care staff are extremely busy already. We overwhelmingly hear about people not being able to provide adequate care as it currently stands so if you are adding to that burden by this kind of distracting activity of responding to false alarms it really does diminish from the care they should be delivering.”
The ANMF (SA Branch) has advocated for security cameras in support of its own members in terms of safety and security outside hospital facilities but, Ms Dabars said, “CCTV is no cure for aged care”.
“When you are talking about this kind of circumstance within a facility, you are actually intruding on people’s privacy and dignity and you are still not actually resolving the fundamental concern,” she said.
“We need more staff, stronger skills mix, better supervision, better training and workforce regulation. We also need to pay aged care staff according to the value of their work.
“That is where the effort should lie as that will provide a quality improvement to residents and their families.’’