News Home  Nurse adds voice to call for Royal Commission  A mid
north coast registered nurse says her experiences with the aged
care industry have left her disillusioned.  Angela Wallace has
worked in nursing homes on the Coffs Coast and in Sydney.  She
said understaffing makes it harder to look after elderly
patients.  Two years ago Ms Wallace's mother died in a Coffs
Coast nursing home while Ms Wallace was away for a week.  An
investigation found that inadequate care lead to the an infected
pressure sore which contributed to her death.  Ms Wallace said
she was told the incident would lead to improved industry
practices, but was later told of a similar death while she was
working in Sydney.  She said better training and more staff are
needed.  "These people have complex health needs," she said.
"They've got people with no skills looking after them, who
aren't communicating to the ENs or registered nurses that do
have the skills to pick up on anything.  "So the skills mix,
understaffing, I know from experien