New provincial probe launched into crisis at nursing homes,

Health ministry watchdog to focus on virus’s effect on residents, caregivers

A government body once led by Health Minister Christine Elliott is starting its own probe into Ontario nursing homes, where COVID-19 has killed at least 1,652 residents and infected thousands more.

The Ministry of Health’s Office of the Patient Ombudsman began an investigation Tuesday after receiving more than 150 complaints about residents and staff in “significant jeopardy” in the past month.

The organization — for which Elliott has not named her own replacement after two years in government — said it will focus on the impact of the highly contagious novel coronavirus on residents and caregivers.

That leaves provincial ombudsman Paul Dubé to his wider probe, announced Monday, into how Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government has managed the longterm-care system during the pandemic, which has infected more than 30,000 Ontarians and killed almost 2,400.

“Our investigation is specific to the residents and caregivers at long-term-care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19,” said Craig Thompson, executive director of the patient ombudsman’s office. “We feel that this investigation will help long-term-care homes prepare for future outbreaks of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.”

The office was created in 2015 to help settle patient complaints within the health system and produce annual reports on results to boost transparency.

Elliott, who had been a fierce critic of the government as an MPP, was appointed the first ombudsman but resigned two years ago to return to politics. An executive search firm was hired in January to find potential replacements for the $203,000-a-year post. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she’s skeptical of an investigation by an internal government body without a permanent leader, but added: “Ontarians deserve all the answers that they can get.”

It’s “quite troubling” that the government has not found a replacement for Elliott as the patient ombudsman since it came to power two years ago this month, Horwath said.

The latest investigation comes as half of Ontario’s 626 nursing homes have experienced outbreaks of COVID-19, with105 remaining in outbreak mode and 2,000 residents and staff still fighting active cases of the illness that spread rapidly in the close confines of long-term care.

Seven staff members have died. Unions representing them have blamed a lack of personal protective equipment for leaving nurses, personal support workers and others vulnerable. More than 1,800 nursing home workers have contracted COVID-19. That has left some homes desperately shortstaffed, with local hospitals sending in teams to help and prompting Ford to call in military medical teams for assistance.

Horwath repeated calls Tuesday for the government to use its emergency powers to take over more nursing homes overwhelmed by COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care later announced a 90-day takeover order for the 240-bed Forest Heights nursing home in Kitchener, where 55 residents have COVID-19, another 51 have died and 69 staff members are infected.

“Despite receiving hospital support for weeks, Forest

Heights has been unable to contain the spread,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that St. Mary’s General Hospital will now operate and stabilize the facility.

“We will do what is necessary to shore up these homes,” LongTerm Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton told the legislature’s daily question period before the takeover was announced.

The premier has announced an “independent commission” into the impact of COVID-19 in nursing homes will begin in July but has not yet named a commissioner or terms of reference.

There were a further 416 confirmed and probable cases of the virus reported by health units across the province as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Star compilation of data in the previous 24 hours. That marked the second day in a row above 400 and raises the total cases to 30,460 since late January.

Twenty additional fatalities increased the death toll to 2,356.

Half of Ontario’s 626 nursing homes have seen outbreaks, with 2,000 residents and staff still fighting active cases