Fort Frances, ON — Six weeks after announcing a third-party management agreement with a private-sector firm, Riverside Health Care says it's working to achieve "fundamental and systemic change" at its Rainycrest Long-Term Care Home.
Riverside is the licensed operator of Rainycrest which former Health and Long-Term Care Minister Eric Hoskins described last February as having "deeply concerning" care and staffing issues which posed a risk of harm to residents.
The ministry ordered a suspension of all new admissions to the home until problems that had been identified repeatedly during inspections were corrected.
In a status update released to the public this week, Riverside management said the closure to admissions "has placed increased pressure on residents, patients, staff, management, health partners and the community."
The statement said management is waiting for a compliance reinspection in January that will determine if the home can resume admissions.
Preparations for that inspection cover multiple areas, including changes in physiotherapy, documentation audits, maintenance, policies and procedures, staff scheduling, infection control, and recruitment and retention.
However, as is the case at Hogarth Riverview Manor in Thunder Bay, the search continues for a new administrator for Rainycrest.
In the meantime, the Riverside update stated, Extendicare Assist—the same company providing management services at St. Joseph's Care Group's Hogarth Riverview facility—"is providing leadership...and supporting Riverside's team in achieving the fundamental and systemic change that is necessary."
The ministry recently conducted its annual Resident Quality Inspection at Rainycrest, but the results are not expected until sometime in early 2019.
Riverside officials said they have made significant investments in staff training and education at the home, including a new partnership with Confederation College in training Personal Support Workers.
The announcement noted that management is trying to improve communications with residents and their families as part of the process of change, and said concerns brought forward are taken seriously.
"They are investigated and corrective action is taken," the statement said.
Riverside Health Care determined that fixing the issues that ministry inspections uncovered at Rainycrest, and ensuring compliance into the future, is not something that can be accomplished just in the short term.
Its third-party management agreement with Extendicare Assist will be in place for three years.
