FORT FRANCES -- Ontario Health and Long-Term Care Minister Eric Hoskins has issued a strongly-worded letter to the management of a long-term care home in Fort Frances, saying repeated non-compliance with provincial regulations will not be tolerated.
The letter—a copy of which was obtained by tbnewswatch.com—follows a recent inspection revealing care and staffing issues at Rainycrest LTC which Dr. Hoskins calls "deeply concerning."
On February 15, the ministry suspended all new admissions to the home pending actions that ensure compliance with provincial legislation.
The ministry (MOHLTC) identified numerous non-compliance issues related to:
- infection prevention and control
- plan of care delivery
- duty to protect from abuse and/or neglect
- safe and appropriate use of restraints
- 24 hour RN staffing
- training of staff
Riverside Health Care Facilities Inc. is the licensee for Rainycrest LTC.
In his letter to Riverside President and CEO Ted Scholten, Dr. Hoskins said the inspection findings "show serious concerns," including concerns that are "recurring with one order currently outstanding having been reissued a total of four times."
The minister said "this repeated non-compliance with the Act (Long-Term Care Homes Act), especially when it impacts resident safety and quality life, is unacceptable."
Dr. Hoskins told Scholten there will be "immediate and serious consequences for operators who continually fail to comply with the Act," including the issuance of mandatory management orders "on licensees who are delivering poor standards of care."
Tbnewswatch.com was told Tuesday that Scholten is currently away and unavailable for comment. A message was left for another member of the Riverside management team, but as yet there has been no response.
Kenora-Rainy River NDP MPP Sara Campbell issued a statement saying "It's heartbreaking to think about what residents at Rainycrest have been put through, from substandard infection control and wound care to violence and dangerous living conditions."
Campbell said the situation is "part of a mounting record of neglect from the Ministry to fix this broken health care system."
The health ministry also issued a Cease of Admissions order to Thunder Bay's St. Joseph's Care Group in November 2016 because of non-compliance issues at the Hogarth Riverview Manor long-term care home. The order was lifted in January 2017.
However, less than a year later, the MOHLTC turned over day-to-day management of Hogarth Riverview to a third party, Extendicare Assist Management and Consulting Services.
That decision, announced in December 2017, was due to what the ministry described as "ongoing non-compliance with resident care requirements, protecting residents from abuse, not following plans of care, and not meeting reporting obligations" to the director of the long-term care inspections branch.
