Past employers gave Wettlaufer positive reference checks, despite medication errors and co-worker complaints

A long term care home in London says Elizabeth Wettlaufer’s past employers gave her good reference checks, despite medication errors and problems with staff and patients.

Meadow Park’s director of care, Heather Nicholas, says the facility’s hiring process includes vulnerable person screening and making sure the candidate was in good standing with the College of Nurses.

But during conversations with Caressant Care, who fired Wettlaufer in 2014, Nicholas said she was told Wettlaufer was “compassionate,” “very patient,” and was good at interacting with patients.

Lead counsel Elizabeth Hewitt asked Nicholas about the three reference checks she conducted; one with Mr. Petkau, a supervisor at Christian Horizons, one with Sandra Flootert, a supervisor at Caressant Care, and one with Jennifer Hague, a co-worker at Caressant Care.

When Nicholas asked the two supervisors whether they’d rehire Wettlaufer, she said they both replied “yes.”

That’s despite medication errors, which Flootert had mentioned as part of the cause for Wettlaufer’s termination.

“Personality conflict, both sides with manager, others involved in med errors — not just her,” read Nicholas’s reference check notes.

When Hewitt asked if Wettlaufer’s medication error gave Nicholas any cause for concern, Nicholas replied “no.”

Wettlaufer, who is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to murdering eight long term care patients with overdoses of insulin, took the life of her last victim, Arpad Horvath, at Meadow Park in August 2014.

In September that year, she abruptly resigned, handing a letter to Nicholas that was to take effect in October saying she had an illness that needed long-term treatment.

Wettlaufer’s last shift was on Sept. 26, the same day medication was delivered to a registered nurse on evening shift, but was never documented as being received.

Four days later, Wettlaufer disclosed to Nicholas that she’d overdosed, and had addictions to drugs and alcohol.

But Nicholas said she didn’t report it to the College of Nurses.

“The only concerns I had was with her being absent from work, there was nothing that came forward that there was any problem when she was working, and she had also resigned her position.”

“I just feel bad for the family,” Nicholas sobbed, towards the end of Hewitt’s questioning.

“I wish I knew, I just feel really awful about what happened.”