By Adele Horin
PEOPLE with disabilities are dying preventable deaths in group homes, institutions and licensed boarding houses because of inadequate attention to the risks they face and lack of access to specialist medical care.
A report by the NSW Ombudsman, tabled in Parliament yesterday, shows people died unnecessarily from choking, drowning, falls and from respiratory diseases.
The Ombudsman's office reviewed the 2008-09 deaths of 193 people who lived in large institutions, and in group homes run by the government or non-government agencies, including 33 who died in government-licensed boarding houses.
It took further action in relation to 36 deaths because of concerns about the adequacy of the care and support provided.
In relation to one man who died in a government institution, ultimately of pneumonia, concerns about wrong conduct prompted a formal investigation into the adequacy of the staff response.
In another case, where concerns were raised about a general practitioner, the Ombudsman referred the matter to the Health Care Complaints Commission.
In 33 other cases, reports were made to the agencies involved and responses and improvements in practice sought.
The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, said many people in disability accommodation and licensed boarding houses faced serious health and safety risks.
''Our reviews indicate that the work of services and staff to identify and address the risks is often inadequate,'' he said.
A particular concern was the lack of access to specialist medical services and chronic disease management programs for people suffering diabetes, heart disease and respiratory illnesses.
Of the 49 people who died of chronic diseases all were considered high risk but none were linked into programs and access to specialists was often lacking.
The Ombudsman found not one of the nine people who lived in boarding houses and died of emphysema or similar respiratory diseases over seven years was sent to a respiratory specialist.
''It is important that, at a minimum, people with disabilities have the same access to health service and programs as everyone else,'' he said.
In one case, a 37-year-old man in a group home choked to death eating a sandwich. He had previously experienced two choking incidents in the year before his death. The death happened despite management instructions to staff to monitor him at all times eating or drinking. Staff reliance on the emergency triple-0 operator rather than on their own training was highlighted as a problem.
In another case, a 23-year-old man with epilepsy who lived in a group home died after drowning in a spa. The man suffered from seizures and had had two attacks in the year before his death. He needed one-to-one support in the spa. But a worker, monitoring him through the window, left to open the front door to a visitor.
Deaths from pneumonia occurred at a much younger age for people living in disability services and boarding houses. Twenty-three people died from pneumonia at a median age of 58, more than 25 years younger than the general population.
The Ombudsman said staff needed to identify people at risk of respiratory diseases and ensure they were involved with the relevant medical practitioners.