Residents mistreated at Portage la Prairie personal care home: provincial investigation
CBC News | Posted: August 29, 2018 4:13 PM | Last Updated: August 29, 2018
Province places conditions on Lions Prairie Manor licence, including suspending new admissions
A Portage la Prairie personal care home is prohibited from taking new residents after an investigation uncovered instances of mistreatment, a news release from the Manitoba government says.
Lions Prairie Manor Personal Care Home's licence came under review in December after complaints about the 136-bed facility arose between August 2016 and December 2017.
On Wednesday, the provincial government announced it had placed a number of conditions on the care home's licence facility after concluding that 12 of 21 complaints raised by family members amounted to mistreatment. No incidents were determined to be abusive or neglectful under the Protection for Persons in Care Act, the province said.
During a news conference at the Manitoba Legislative Building, Health Minister Cameron Friesen said he held a conference call with families to discuss the measures the province is taking to improve care at the facility.
"I hope that today's news will provide some comfort to those families. We know that there is trust that is necessary to rebuild. We want to rebuild that trust," Friesen said.
The Protection for Persons in Care Office interviewed more than 100 people as part of the investigation.
In addition to suspending new admissions until further notice, the conditions require the facility to educate all new and current staff according to the Protection for Persons in Care Office's directions by no later than Dec. 18, demonstrate that staff are making progress implementing an integrated care plan by that date, and comply with a reporting requirement within 100 days.
The PCCO report also ordered the facility to ensure expectations around toileting residents at mealtimes are met, that the manner in which patients are moved is consistent with their care plans, and that allegations of abuse and neglect are investigated thoroughly.
"This is all about making sure that the staff in the facility feel confident to care for the residents and that the families and residents themselves feel that a high level of care is being provided," Friesen said, adding that he has confidence the facility will be able to meet the demands.
Health region extends 'regret and apology'
Jane Curtis, CEO of Southern Health-Santé Sud, the regional health authority that oversees the care home, said in a news release that the restriction on new admissions will allow the facility to focus on implementing the provincial directives.
"First and foremost, we would like to extend regret and apology for any mistreatment experienced by residents and their families," she said.
Curtis said staff have already received additional training, policies have been implemented and plans have been made to provide additional resources to the facility.
About 90 per cent of all staff at the facility have received additional training, Friesen said. Over the next two years, the facility will report regularly to ensure standards of care and training are being met, he said.
At least the government has acknowledged that there are very serious problems. - Liberal MLA Jon Gerrard
Former health minister Kelvin Goertzen met with the families after they appeared at the legislature in May; he promised to act following the completion of the investigation.
Liberal MLA Jon Gerrard championed the patients' cause by submitting a report written by six family members, detailing allegations of neglectful care.
The allegations included claims about care plans not followed, staff unaware of significant health challenges and residents not getting help to go to the bathroom.
Gerrard said he was disappointed it took the provincial government so long to act.
"But at least the government has acknowledged that there are very serious problems," he said.
He said he plans to monitor the situation at the personal care home closely, as he's not convinced that the government will take enough measures to ensure the well-being of residents there.
The report itself cannot be publicly released, as it contains sensitive health information of patients.
With files from Cameron MacLean and Sean Kavanagh