Ottawa’s auditor general Ken Hughes is unhappy with the state of the city’s long-term care facilities, according to reports released by his office on Monday.
In total, 27 recommendations were made in regard to management of the facilities.
The recommendations stem from the two reports that investigated practices at two of the four city-run facilities. The first report focused on seven key areas of medication management at the homes.
“Current policies and procedures are not always being followed in the handling of medications at these residences and that poses a risk to residents’ health and safety,” Hughes told the city’s audit committee. The review also referenced the possibility of drug diversion.
The second review investigated management’s actions in response to an incident of sexual abuse. The incident occurred in 2017 at one of the homes and involved a male resident who had taken a female resident to his room. The incident was not reported to police of the provincial ministry until the next day.
“In this case, the male resident had already been identified as a potential sexual abuse risk, but had remained in a mixed population with little supervision,” Hughes said. “Had stronger measures been taken earlier, this incident may have been prevented.”
The investigation also heard complaints of staff shortages, as well as management that did not respond to staff concerns in a timely manner. The auditors also found inconsistencies on how such incidents should be handled.
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