Island Health care staff will soon be working at Selkirk Place in Victoria following concerns about the quality of care and staffing levels at the facility.
Starting Oct. 12, Island Health, in co-operation with the Hospital Employees’ Union and BC Nurses’ Union, will begin temporarily providing health-authority care staff to Selkirk Place.
A similar measure has been in place at the Nanaimo Seniors Village for several weeks. Island Health said health-authority staff will be remaining at that site.
“Our job is to put the health and care of residents in long-term care facilities first and that is what we are doing,” Health Ministry Adrian Dix said in a statement. “The Ministry and I strongly support the decision to temporarily have Island Health staff in each of the facilities to stabilize care in the short-term and allow the private company to develop long-term staffing solutions.”
Island Health’s Seniors Health and Primary Care program says it is aware of the concerns at both facilities.
“Providing high quality, safe, dignified care for seniors in long-term care is a priority for Island Health,” Mark Blandford, executive director – Primary Care and Seniors Health and acting vice president – Priority Populations and Initiatives said in a statement. “The provision of Island Health staff support will remain in place for up to 90 days to support the operator in meeting care levels stipulated in the operator’s contract and the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.”
Both facilities are owned by facility is owned by Retirement Concepts but was acquired by Cedar Tree in 2017, part of the Angbang Insurance Group, whose founder was convicted of fraud in China in May 2018.
Earlier this month, Island Health appointed an administrator to oversee day-to-day operations at the Comox Valley Seniors Village, also owned by Retirement Concepts. The facility was found was found non-compliant with the province’s Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
Between Mar. 1 and Aug. 23, inspectors visited the Comox Valley Seniors Village 45 times responsing to complaints about disease outbreaks and neglect, as well as abuse allegations.
With files from CBC
CHEK News
