The Lenggries and Bruckmühl rehabilitation clinics, which have recently made headlines because of grievances, have a new managing director. BBB Gesundheitsbetriebe Holding, which owns both clinics, has entrusted Jens Brockmann with the management of the specialist clinics, one of which – the building in Lenggries – has to close on August 31 due to serious defects. Brockmann announced that he would completely reorganize both clinics with a new medical concept and a different management team.
The specialist clinic for geriatric rehabilitation in Lenggries was initially searched by the police in June on suspicion of nursing grievances and intentional bodily harm. According to the district office in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, subsequent checks revealed “nursing deficiencies, discrepancies in the rosters and incorrect insulin administration”. The district office then withdrew the clinic’s operating license. The public prosecutor’s office is investigating three people there because of the suspicion of nursing grievances and – this is about the allegedly incorrect insulin delivery – also on intentional bodily harm.
In the second house of the holding in Bruckmühl, which was managed by the same managing director Nikolaus Netzer, defects were also found during checks at the beginning of August. They concerned basic hygiene, patient documentation and patient care. However, according to the Rosenheim district office responsible there, these have now “largely been turned off”. The clinic was checked again last Friday. Among other things, the Rosenheim Health Department, the Medical Service and the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety were in-house. With positive results: “The employees of the specialist clinic have made a great effort to improve structures, processes and equipment in the past few weeks,” writes the district office in a press release.
However, the nursing care in Bruckmühl should also have been easier because there were hardly any patients in the 60-bed house recently. There are currently two. Regardless of the deficiencies found, the clinic was recently unable to accept any patients because it was temporarily quarantined due to suspected multi-resistant germs. In addition, there was water damage in the actually brand new building.
Bruckmühl is also currently not accepting any patients
According to the new managing director, this house should therefore not be taking care of any other patients at the moment. “If we can start here again in mid-October, that would be good,” said Brockmann. He would like the clinic in Lenggries to reopen early next year. However, that depends on the authorities. “We have to earn trust again,” he said.
First, Brockmann wants to set up a new management team for both houses and present the new medical concept to representatives from the district office and health insurance companies. The former managing director and medical director Nikolaus Netzer has retired from the Lenggries Clinic, he is currently still working as a doctor in Bruckmühl. However, he will no longer be responsible for the new medical concept of the rehabilitation clinics. A renowned professor has already been found for this, says Brockmann. Brockmann himself comes from the management consulting firm Oberender, which specializes in the healthcare market, and can access their network. He is counting on being able to put together a new management team quickly.
There is a lack of more than 100,000 nursing staff across Bavaria
Nevertheless, it should not be easy for the clinics to find enough staff. After all, hospitals and nursing homes all over Germany are desperately looking for employees. According to the Association of Private Hospitals in Bavaria, more than 100,000 nurses are currently missing. In the fight for employees, the predominantly privately run rehabilitation clinics have a particularly difficult time. Because unlike in municipal houses, the newly negotiated higher collective agreement for the public service does not apply to them. Caregivers often earn less. Rehabilitation clinics that adjust salaries do not automatically get this refinanced by health insurance companies.
In the case of the Bruckmühl rehabilitation clinic, readers not only complained about what they saw as poor care, but also about the dramatic lack of staff and limited visitor times in the Bruckmühl rehabilitation clinic. A relative reported that she was not allowed to visit the mother in her room, but only at fixed times in the visiting rooms. The previous managing director Nikolaus Netzer had rejected the allegations at the request of the SZ. He explained the sometimes strict visitor rules with hygiene requirements. The aim was to protect the old and often very ill residents from infection.
The new managing director takes the complaints seriously and wants to investigate them afterwards. “Every complaint is important and right.” They are always an indication that something is wrong – even if it is only in the communication and external image of the clinic.