Nursing Homes in Ontario Ordered to Stop New Admissions Due to Substandard Care

Crackdown on Nursing Homes Affects Three Facilities

Three Ontario nursing homes have been ordered to halt the admission of new patients due to substandard care.

The nursing homes – located in Mississauga, London and Fergus – failed recent inspections by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The Toronto Star reports that the companies in question have indicated that they will work with the ministry to resolve their problems.

A lack of adequate staffing has been highlighted as a major concern by the ministry, an issue that workers, families and nursing home residents across Ontario have flagged for years. Inspectors also indicated resident neglect and a lack of cleanliness.

The order was issued October 3rd, just days after the province introduced legislation that, if passed, would see nursing homes face tougher penalties for failure to comply with regulations. Fines for corporations would range from $200,000 for first time offenders, to $500,000 for repeat offences.

Tyndall Nursing Home in Mississauga, Ontario

Tyndall Nursing Home, located on Eglinton Avenue East in Mississauga, was ordered to stop accepting new residents due to repeated violations and non-compliance orders. The facility is owned by Sharon Village Care Homes.

According to the Mississauga News, Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins noted in a letter to Sharon Village Care Homes president Peter Schlegl that the ministry has “determined that there is sufficient risk of harm to the residents’ health or well-being. It is completely unacceptable that these operators are not meeting the province’s standards.”

Inspection reports for Tyndall date as far back as 2010. A January 2017 inspection found 51 violations, including 8 “critical incidents”. Violations include:

• resident neglect
• slip and fall injuries
• inappropriate touching
• physical abuse among residents
• reports of resident abuse not properly investigated or followed up
• food not meeting dietary needs
• unsafe resident transportation
• lack of mobility devices for residents
• maintenance issues (odours, rust, leaky faucets, defective handrails)

Earls Court Village in London, Ontario

Earls Court Village, on Highbury Avenue North in London, has been ordered to stop admitting new patients for the second time in 20 months. The facility received a ‘cease admission’ order in May 2016. Earls Court is owned by Sharon Village Care Homes, which operates Tyndall Nursing Home in Mississauga.

“The distressing practice of failing to meet provincial standards will not be accepted in Ontario,” Eric Hoskins wrote in a letter obtained by The London Free Press. “I am prepared to use every tool available to ensure every home in Ontario is a place deserving of our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters.”

An August inspection found 15 violations, which include:

• abuse (reported and unreported) between residents, ignored by staff
• staff hired before conducting a criminal background check
• medication mistakes made be under-trained staff
• too few staff members
• residents left in wet and soiled clothing
• failure to routinely check safety restraints
• failure to regularly bathe and reposition residents
• medication carts left unlocked and unattended

In the News:

• London nursing home ordered to stop admitting new patients for second time
• Mississauga nursing home ordered to stop admitting patients after failing inspection
• Caressant Care ordered to stop accepting new residents

Caressant Care in Fergus, Ontario

Fergus nursing home Caressant Care was the third facility ordered to stop admitting new patients. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care notes that the facility has been investigated at least six different times since December 2016. The Wellington Advertiser notes that a total of 59 violations were found, including 14 during the home’s September 13 inspection.

“The ceasing of admissions has been directed based on my belief that there is a risk of harm to the health or well-being of residents,” ministry inspections director Karen Simpson said in a letter to officials with Caressant Care Fergus.

Violations include:

• resident neglect
• failure to report resident abuse
• unclean conditions (dirty floors, cigarette butts, offensive odours)
• failure to prevent falls

Residents in Nursing Homes Have Rights

Nursing and old-age homes in Ontario are notorious for substandard care resulting in neglect, harm and even death. Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has dealt with numerous cases concerning long term care. The amount of grief caused to patients, many of whom are in extremely vulnerable states, is often unimaginable.

Family members entrust their elderly parents and relatives to these institutions, often at exorbitant expense, only to be shocked and horrified at the lack of care and willful blindness at the treatment of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

What families and patients must know and understand is that they have rights under the law for compensation in such circumstances.

Our firm has helped families and patients that have gone through these kinds of ordeals, and successfully pursued compensation for their pain and suffering.