The Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care (MLTC) has issued an order that Extendicare Countryside, the new nursing home that officially opened on Algonquin Road last May, is no longer allowed to accept new residents.
The order to cease admissions was published on the Ministry's website on Monday.
"The ceasing of admissions has been directed based on my belief that there is risk to the health, safety and well-being of residents who resident in the home, or the individuals who may be admitted as residents of the home," said the letter sent Monday by Brad Robinson, director of Long-Term Care Inspections Branch, for MLTC.
Robinson's letter, dated Dec.16, was sent pursuant to Section-56 of the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, which stated as follows:
"Suspension of admissions where risk of harm: 56 (1) - If the Director believes there is a risk of harm to the health or well-being of residents of a long-term care home or persons who might be admitted as residents, the Director may direct the placement co-ordinator for the geographic area where the home is located to cease authorizing admissions to the home for such period of time and subject to such conditions as the Director specifies."
Mark Nesbitt, a spokesperson with the ministry, said no specific information could be provided as to what prompted the order, other than information contained in formal reports from previous inspections.
One such report was issued on Oct.4 for inspections carried in the third week of September. That report said five situations were investigated. They were:
- A complaint related to alleged neglect of a resident;
- One intake related to the breakdown of a major system;
- One intake related to a fall of a resident which caused an injury;
- A complaint related to care concerns of a resident, and;
- One intake related to neglect of a resident.
The report also outlined several issues of “non-compliance” of the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, in many cases related to communications and follow-up reports in relation to incidents and complaints involving residents at the home.
More complete details of that 11-page report can be found on the Ministry's website.
Residents and family members were contacted by text or email this week by Extendicare management advising of the order from the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
The message said "no new residents will be allowed to move into our home until further notice."
The message said the MLTC decision was based on the inspector's "belief" that there is risk to the health, safety and well-being of the residents.
"Since we moved to our new home earlier this year, and while we have worked to transition to our new home, we have seen an increase in the number of concerns," said the message from Extendicare management.
"Over the next few weeks, you will notice additional resources from Extendicare's head office on site to provide support. Their role will be to help us work through unresolved challenges and to strengthen our processes and approaches long term," the message continued.
The message also advised residents there will be a town-hall style meeting held at the nursing home on Friday, Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. where people can air their concerns and have questions answered. This meeting is for Countryside residents and families, said Extendicare.
"You will receive an invitation via email, with a link for those joining online," said the message.
The official grand opening of the new facility on Algonquin Road was held in May.
Current Tourism Minister Stan Cho, who was the long-term care minister at the time, was on hand for the official opening of Extendicare Countryside. In his remarks, Cho referred repeatedly to Countryside as a “modern” long-term care facility.
“I would like to congratulate Extendicare Countryside and their team as we celebrate the opening of a new, modernized long-term care home for Sudbury,” said Cho. “This redeveloped home is a significant milestone for Sudbury and means 256 seniors will now have a new, modern and comfortable place to call home.”
He also told the audience, many of whom were residents at the new home, that Ontario has a moral responsibility to keep improving the lives of seniors.
"This is why we do what we do and we need to keep doing it, because we know we have a growing population of seniors and we know we have more seniors coming to this province from abroad,” Cho said. “It is a moral responsibility upon all of us to continue to do it."
Sudbury.com will follow and report on further developments of this story as more information becomes available.
Len Gillis covers health care stories as well as the mining industry for Sudbury.com.