P.E.I. seniors homes facing staff challenges, 2 operating with provisional licences

Two P.E.I. seniors homes are operating with provisional licences, which means they have been unable to meet all of the standards of care as set out by the province. 

They are Garden Home in Charlottetown, which is a 127-bed private nursing home operated by Prince Edward Island Seniors Homes, and South Shore Villa in Crapaud, a 36-bed private nursing home, which is operated by MacLeod Group Health Services.

Both have been flagged in recent inspections by the Community Care Facilities and Nursing Homes Board. 

Jason Lee, CEO of Garden Home, directed all questions to the province. 

"As you are likely aware, both of our homes are declared as outbreak sites by the chief public health officer," Ramsay Duff, CEO of MacLeod Group, said in a statement to CBC News. (The company also operates Clinton View Lodge Nursing Home in Kensington, as well as nine locations in Nova Scotia and one in New Brunswick.)

"We are completely focused on the care and health of our residents and staff at this time. We are working closely with [the] Department of Health and Wellness, Health P.E.I., CPHO and the licensing board to end the outbreaks and return to full licence status."

Staffing standards not met

Earlier this month, P.E.I. MLAs were told some long-term care facilities have at times been unable to maintain government-mandated staffing levels.

Government inspectors told MLAs during a legislative standing committee that while that has impacted resident care, residents continue to receive a "basic standard" of care. 

Kelly Rayner, director of community health, told MLAs a resident who might normally have a shower or a bath might be switched to having a sponge bath during an outbreak.

Rayner also said there aren't enough inspectors right now to conduct full inspections.

"Our focus is on the safety and the care of the residents, and so we are pivoting from our regular inspections," said Rayner, noting that some homes can't meet at least parts of the set of provincial standards.

"They're not meeting it. We know they're not. But what we're trying to do is provide them guidance and provide oversight to make sure that what is happening may be at a minimum, but it's safe."

Inspections in October, November

In its letter to Garden Home CEO Lee, the board identified 26 areas of partial compliance and three areas of non-compliance during inspections in late October and early November. 

Mary Anne McMahon, chair of the Community Care Facilities and Nursing Homes Board, writes, "...the board is of the view that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the facility would not be able to operate in accordance with the prescribed standards unless identified deficiencies are remedied."

Those remedies include ensuring that: 

• documentation is in place for orientation, training, staff skills and competencies; 
• staff not carry out work until they have received orientation and training; and 
• personnel files are up to date. 

Staffing concerns were also identified at South Shore Villa. There were issues around staffing patterns, not having enough staff positions filled to meet the total operational demand of the facility, and ensuring the facility is staffed with adequate professionally designated staff.

Staffing issues were also flagged at other seniors homes on the Island, but they all received a full licence renewal after inspection. 

While inspectors are visiting the private homes experiencing an outbreak, they are not completing full inspections.- Department of Health and Wellness

Nobody from the province was available for an interview.

But in a statement the Department of Health and Wellness said inspectors are continuing with annual inspections of private long-term care and community care facilities. 

"While inspectors are visiting the private homes experiencing an outbreak, they are not completing full inspections. Visits to these facilities may include a walkthrough of the facility to observe overall cleanliness and care, interview with a resident and a staffing review," the statement said. 

Issue across Canada

Jodi Hall, CEO of the Canadian Association for Long Term Care, told CBC News in an interview that her industry was seeing many long-standing issues around staffing long before the pandemic began. But she said the pandemic has created "some pretty intense" situations with regard to staffing.

"I have to acknowledge that where we were two years ago, when we experienced that very first wave during the pandemic, is quite far from where we are today," Hall said from her office in Fredericton, N.B. 

"We're much better equipped to be able to deal with these challenges."

Hall said solutions to the staffing issues include a national strategy to deal with staffing shortages, increased immigration, support for colleges and universities so they can increase the domestic workforce, and support for existing workers to encourage them to stay in the long-term care field.

"The number-one priority for all of the long-term care home leaders across the country is to ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect the residents on a daily basis."