A visitor slipped on the apparently icy outdoor area at the beginning of December and later died in hospital. The home operator then named the qualified nurse who was on duty that day as the person responsible – the nurse had already been questioned by the police as the accused.
“Just like everyone else, the home operator is of course responsible for organizing winter service and must ensure that the sidewalks belonging to his facility are safe to use,” said Anita Ogris, expert from the vida union, in a press release on Friday. Instead of taking responsibility, the employer “made it easy” and named the nurse. As a qualified nurse, she is “of course not responsible for the plant safety of the company; following all, that’s what a house management is for,” says Ogris. In their opinion, it would also contradict the Carinthian Home Ordinance if the qualified service were “required to take on larger non-nursing responsibilities”.
Caregiver should take over winter service
After the accident, there was also a written instruction from the employer that the qualified nursing staff present should take over the winter service on weekends. But that is not permitted, according to the union. When asked, no one from the home operator might initially be reached for comment.
