AG tables report on personal care homes that included two deaths

In one case, a  resident did not return from a routine walk and was found dead later that day. Another resident was administered multiple medications of another resident and died as the result of accidental overdose. 

Auditor General, Denise Hanrahan, has delivered a performance audit report on personal care homes which  found serious issues with program delivery and oversight. The Department of Health  received notification of eight serious incidents between April 2022 and September 2024; six of these eight incidents (75 per cent) had no documented follow up action by the department.  In one case, a  resident did not return from a routine walk and was found dead later that day. Another resident was administered multiple medications of another resident and died as the result of accidental overdose. 

Hanrahan says outdated operational standards are being used and the department has increasingly distanced itself from oversight responsibilities. Three employees had negative results on their certificate of conduct with assault charges, most had minimal training and some even had expired first aid certification. Hanrahan says medication was really concerning and many non compliances dealt with staff not getting reviewed and trained. 

Hanrahan says meals didn’t match the posted menu and over half of the homes had no evidence of using Canada’s Food Guide. As of September 30th, there were 86 personal care homes operating in the province with 5,208 available beds. The report includes 10 recommendations from the Auditor General.