Elizabeth Wettlaufer worked in Paris, Ont. nursing home with history of drug violations
The Paris, Ont. nursing home is also where a ninth suspected insulin overdose case is being investigated
One of the long-term care facilities that employed a nurse accused of murdering her patients had a history of drug-related violations, including allowing an unqualified staff member to administer insulin and leaving drugs unlocked.
CBC News has learned the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care is investigating Telfer Place in Paris, Ont., as well as nursing homes in Brantford, Ont. and Port Dover, Ont. looking at what it calls "patient care" complaints.
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Police are also going through documents at the same facilities, considering the possibility that more patients have been harmed or killed.
Wettlaufer, who will be in court Friday morning in Woodstock, Ont., is charged with administering a lethal dose of a drug to eight senior citizens under her care in Woodstock and London, Ont.
Police have said the investigation is far from over and plan to provide new details before the court proceedings get underway.
Records show drug, insulin violations at Paris home
The Paris, Ont. location, which employed Elizabeth Wettlaufer through a nursing agency between February 2015 and April 2016, is said to be under extreme scrutiny since it was discovered that an elderly woman almost died there last spring when her blood sugar levels crashed unexpectedly.
The incident was not deemed suspicious and was not reported but Telfer Place was the subject of other ministry probes into patient care while Wettlaufer was employed there.
Documents obtained through the Ministry of Health show Telfer Place was reprimanded twice for unsafe drug storage in 2015 and 2016, including leaving the drug cart unlocked in a public place.
"The medication cart was located in the hall, outside of the lounge and was observed to be unlocked and unattended," a ministry inspector wrote in a March 2015 non-compliance report, adding that they opened the drawers without notice.
In January 2016, the inspection records show a staff member who was not a nurse or a doctor was allowed to administer an insulin injection to a patient.
The same day, the rules were broken again when a nurse provided by an outside agency was allowed to work the night shift without the supervision of a staff nurse.
"It is extremely concerning," said Lorraine Purdon, executive director of the Family Councils of Ontario, an organization that supports families with loved ones in care.
"Non-compliance violations like these are the result of nursing homes consistently being unable to find sufficient staff."
Insulin overdose suspected
The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care is not commenting on whether Wettlaufer was on duty when the incidents were reported or anything relating to the case.
Revera Inc., which oversees Telfer Place, has said it cannot provide details due to the ongoing police investigation.
CBC News has learned the elderly patient who survived a period of medical distress in the Paris home had never before had trouble with her blood sugar levels.
In the subsequent hours and days following, her levels were monitored every two hours to ensure she remained stable.
While police have not said how they think Wettlaufer allegedly killed her victims, she was banned from possessing insulin in the weeks before her arrest.
At least two other families have asked police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of loved ones in London's Meadow Park nursing home, the facility where Wettlaufer's last alleged victim died.
Their lawyer William Brennan, who is also representing two other victim families, said police are taking suspected concerns seriously and have interviewed his clients.