Dannevirke retirement village criticised for poor care and delayed diagnoses
Tuesday 29 September 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story Health and Disability Commissioner
Eileen Mary Residential Care and Retirement Village in Dannevirke has been criticised for failing to provide an adequate standard of care to four elderly residents. One resident was found with maggots in a leg wound, and others experienced issues including delayed cancer diagnoses.
Key facts
4 facts
- The facility breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights.
- The investigation covered care provided between 2022 and 2024.
- Eileen Mary Age Care Limited sold the facility in November 2024.
- The commission received four complaints and one coronial referral.
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
The Health and Disability Commissioner has found that Eileen Mary Residential Care and Retirement Village in Dannevirke breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights on several occasions. Deputy health and disability commissioner Rose Wall conducted a single investigation into four complaints regarding the standard of care for residents with high and complex needs between 2022 and 2024.
One resident, a 94-year-old woman, was found to have maggots in a leg wound during a dressing change on 20 February 2022. This occurred despite the presence of flies from a nearby sheep paddock, which neighbours attempted to manage using fly spray and a portable fan. Wall stated she was "critical of the lack of pest-control measures implemented by Eileen Mary Age Care Limited, the standard of adverse event reporting, and the lack of compliance with the Wound and Skin Care Policy".
Other issues identified in the investigation included a non-verbal woman living with an aggressive, undiagnosed form of breast cancer. Additionally, the family of a 94-year-old woman was not informed she was "actively dying" until only hours before her death, which prevented them from seeing her.
The facility was owned by Eileen Mary Age Care Limited during the period in question but was sold to new owners in November 2024. The new operator has reported that improvements in staffing and care systems have increased resident satisfaction and occupancy.
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald and RNZ.