A long-term care facility in Sudbury remains under an order not to accept any new residents until it addresses several concerns. The Ministry of Long-Term Care issued the order Aug. 6 to Extendicare Countryside, the second such order in two years. The no-admissions order has been in place for more than a month at Extendicare Countryside -- and it comes at a time of long waitlists for long-term care beds in the community. Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas said she has heard complaints about the facility from many people. “I have so many families reaching out to me to talk about poor quality care for their loved ones at Extendicare,” Gelinas said. “I give them the number. We help them put in a complaint. The Ministry of Long-Term Care sends in people to do investigations and they don’t pass the investigation.” In an email, the ministry said, in part, they are closely monitoring the care home’s performance “and compliance status and will take any further action necessary to ensure the well-being of residents.” “The cease of admissions remains in effect until the director is satisfied that the home has achieved sustained compliance.” A publicly available report shows the outstanding compliance orders are related to continence care and weight changes assessment, with a compliance deadline of Sept. 21. At a recent inspection, other concerns related to maintaining a safe and secure environment, food production standards and medication administration were found to be successfully resolved. A spokesperson for Extendicare said they are working to resolve all of the province’s concerns. “We continue to execute on our action plan in close collaboration with the Ministry of Long-Term Care,” the home said in an emailed statement. Specifically, Extendicare said they are working on strengthening on-site leadership; conducting increased audits and training by front-line leadership; and increasing resources for direct care. There are 256 licensed long-term care beds at the home. Extendicare said this summer, Countryside hired 10 new permanent personal support workers, three registered practical nurses and 32 full- and part-time PSWs. On the leadership side, a new executive director and an environmental services manager have been put in place, among other positions.
