Death, sexual abuse allegations and feces on the walls found in AG report on personal care homes

Feces smeared on walls, residents going missing, a death as a result of errors, improperly administered medicine, verbal abuse and concerns of sexual abuse by staff are among the latest findings by Newfoundland and Labrador's auditor general in a blistering report released on Tuesday about personal care homes in the province.

Denise Hanrahan says the Department of Health and Community Services has failed in its responsibility to oversee and enforce operational standards, which haven't been updated since 2007.

"As a result of our audit, we have serious concerns about the management and oversight and delivery of the provincial personal care home program," Hanrahan told reporters on Tuesday.

"We did identify incidents and serious issues with potentially residents being harmed and even a death as a result of some errors that appear to have happened by staff or by operations at personal care homes under those operational standards."

The report stated a resident died from an accidental overdose after staff gave them multiple medications meant for another resident.

Her audit — which looked at a period from April 1, 2022 to September 30, 2024 — found the department has distanced itself from oversight of the program.

She also found non-compliance and pervasive incidents across the sector.

There were numerous incidents of people being improperly given medications, Hanrahan said — 41 medication incidents in a three-month period, which included missing drugs and a needle being left on an insulin pen, which are meant to be single-use.

Hanrahan expects issues and non-compliance to happen, but says there should be ramifications, of which there's no evidence.

"When you look at the health authority, what their responsibility is and then what the responsibility is for the department, we have some serious concerns with respect to the health and safety of the residents," she said.

Hanrahan says she wants accountability for how $83.6 million in government subsidies was spent in 2023-24. That number is nearly double from the previous year, where it was $49.8 million.

10 Recommendations

Some of the issues raised in the latest report were also raised by the auditor general's office in 2015.

Hanrahan calls the situation frustrating, given there are similarities to 10 years ago.

She says serious action has to be taken and has 10 recommendations she wants the health department to implement. Those include updating provincial personal care home program operational standards.

She also wants to see a departmental review of all personal care home serious incidents and that those incidents are addressed in a timely manner. Further, she wants inspection results, non-compliance information, licence status and a full history of facilities kept over two years made publicly available.

The department accepted all recommendations in the latest report. 

Hanrahan says she's optimistic they will be acted on.

"I have the benefit of seeing an increased response, a more appropriate response from government, its departments and entities to my reports," she said.

Public accounts committee chair Pleaman Forsey, who is the PC MHA for Exploits, says it's a disturbing situation that some recommendations weren't followed up on from the 2015 report.

"We now will be following up with the entities, [and] will be reviewing the report in detail of course," he said.

"We'll see what further actions we'll take [in] regards to public hearings and whatnot."

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