Nearly 8000 frail and elderly nursing home residents in the state potentially are at risk by the failure of homes to meet new regulations for fire sprinklers, fire doors and alarms.

The latest figures from the Department of Health and Ageing show that in SA 51 per cent of facilities have not yet gained their new fire certificates compared with 46 per cent nationally.

The regulations, set down in 1999, were to be in place by the end of 2003. Despite a two-year deadline extension for homes to the end of the year, thousands of residents have been left without proper protection.

If those homes do not meet the December deadline they could have their accreditation suspended and lose government funding.

Aged and Community Services SA, the peak body representing 95 per cent of the state's non profit aged sector, said most members were getting certification.

"We understand most members are in the process of getting the appropriate certification," chief executive Rob Dempsey said yesterday. "Trade availability", however, was slowing the process and could make it difficult for some homes to reach the required standards by next month. Asked why it had taken homes almost six years to get their act together, he said the government had "not seriously" called for homes to make the changes until recently.

"I am confident elderly South Australians in nursing homes are very safe," he said.

Opposition spokesman on the Ageing Jan McLucas said: "The Government will have to guarantee that frail, elderly nursing home residents are not being put at risk because it is not enforcing its requirement for nursing home providers to install sprinklers, fire doors and other necessary fire safety equipment." A spokesman for Ageing Minister Julie Bishop said the figures did not take into account operators who would leave it until the last minute to report their compliance. All homes were expected to meet the target.

The Federal Government last year paid each nursing home $3500 per resident, to meet the costs of the increased fire protection.

CEO of the Aged Care Association of Australia, Rod Young, said it was not unreasonable to take so many years to meet standards. "There are some providers that will be making significant changes to their operations, including exiting the industry, selling the facility, rebuilding or relocating to a new site, and there is no sense in spending several hundred thousand dollars meeting the standard before you rip the building down," he said.

Article from 

www.theadvertiser.news.com.au