A year after the province was caught breaking its own nursing home inspection law, the first probes are done and the findings are nauseating.

Inspectors found feces and filth in rooms and bathrooms, kitchens and dining areas and on the walkers and wheelchairs many depend upon.

They saw staff manage medicine and hygiene haphazardly and fail to look after needs, from incontinence to the management of pain and the prevention of falls — a pair even dropped a resident after ignoring instructions.

No seniors should be treated like that and the blame lies with Health Minister Deb Matthews, who resisted for years calls by seniors’ advocates for annual inspections, opposition health critics say.

“(Matthews) sat on her hands for a long time,” NDP health critic France Gelinas said. “This is pitiful . . . Shame on her.”

Her Progressive Conservative counterpart, Christine Elliott, agreed: “The health minister has failed miserably . . . These are serious concerns.”

Matthews defended her record on long-term care, saying the inspections are critical to improving conditions for residents.

“I take the results of all inspections very seriously. We expect every step to be taken to ensure that our long-term care homes are safe, dignified and comfortable places to live,” she said in an e-mail statement.

The Liberal government first promised vigorous annual inspections in 2010, as part of legislation it said would better protect the vulnerable people who live in nursing homes. But most homes went without annual inspections, a failing Matthews refused to admit until The Free Press documented the chasm between what was promised and delivered.

More than 80% of nursing homes hadn’t had a full inspection.

Last June, Matthews said she would spend $12 million to more than double the number of inspectors and she promised, that by the end of 2014, every home will have a full review.

“We . . . are on track to fulfil that commitment,” Matthews said.

That change meant the first annual inspections of London’s Chelsea Park and Westmount Gardens nursing homes and the first full inspection at Elmwood Place since 2011.

The corporate owner of Elmwood, Revera Inc., responded when asked last week about its inspection report.

“We fully support the (annual inspection) . . . (It) is a rigorous inspection process. There were three inspectors on site at Elmwood Place for nine days,” wrote Revera spokesperson Jennifer Arnott. “We immediately developed internal action plans to resolve the issues and support quality care . . . Elmwood Place has deeply committed, caring staff who are proud of the quality care they provide.”

John Scotland, chief executive of Steeves & Rozema Group that owns Westmount Gardens, said the company was disappointed by the inspection results.

“It is essential that homes meet government regulations as they are one of the critical elements in providing resident-centred care,” he said in an e-mail statement.

Steeves & Rozema responded quickly to the inspection findings, addressing all of them with the exception of five shower rooms that are in the process of being renovated, Scotland said.

Officials at Chelsea Park weren’t reached for comment.

Thirteen other nursing homes in London either haven’t been inspected yet or their inspection reports aren’t completed and posted on the Health Ministry’s website.

jonathan.sher@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/JSHERatLFPress

--- --- ---

KEY FINDINGS

So far in 2014, three London nursing homes have received a comprehensive annual inspection. Here are key findings:

Chelsea Park

310 Oxford St. W.

Feces found on washroom counter

Dining tables splattered with old food and liquid

Staff didn’t reassess wounds or update changes in pain management

Staff restraining patients without a doctor’s order and families’ consent

Staff dropped a resident after not heeding directions how to move patient safely

A staffer gave drugs to six patients in a row without washing hands

Elmwood Place

46 Elmwood Place

Staff didn’t clean walkers and wheelchairs twice a week, leaving residents to use ones that were filthy and foul-smelling

Feces found on hallway railing, door handles, a sink and a washcloth on a towel rack of a resident who relied on staff for hygienic care

Kitchen cupboard and drawers littered with dried food bits and liquid; fridge door and surface stained and grubby; stools, table and chairs had dried food bits and stains from liquid

For nine months in 2013, no one documented what had been done to prevent infection; even infection control carts were soiled

Broken toilets, corroded baseboard heater, dangling towel rack, cracked over-bed table, many baseboards detached from the wall

Westmount Gardens

590 Longworth Rd.

Nurse used medication fridge to store her/his lunch.

Black mould-like substance in grooming areas, water leaking from one shower to ones below

Staff failed to properly plan care for resident who had fallen repeatedly

Didn’t keep pace with incontinence needs of a resident

Staff rarely checked temperature or cleaned fridges used for medication

Staff didn’t check temperature of food served to residents

Source: Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care