The Province of Manitoba has committed to implement all of the recommendations in the Maples Long Term Care Home review.

In a report commissioned by the government in November 2020, Dr. Lynn Stevenson, former associate deputy minister of British Columbia Health, was tasked with looking into the serious outbreak at the facility the infected 74 staff and 157 residents and claimed 56 lives. Her role was to provide the government with feedback and recommendations after looking into staffing levels, the level of care as well as policies and procedures when dealing with infection prevention and control.

The incident at Maples PCH that prompted the review happened Friday evening, November 6, 2020, when Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Services received a number of calls from the facility for help. It became public after a person took to social media claiming to be one of the paramedics who responded to the call for service. In the post they claimed that patients who had passed away had been dead for hours as rigidity and lividity had already set in. Some of the patients assessed where just hungry and didn’t have the ability to feed themselves. The poster said that some residents were dehydrated and were given IV fluids.

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Within 48 hours, former Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen announced that he was calling for an investigation into the COVID-19 outbreaks at Maples and Parkview Place personal care homes. Both facilities are owned by Revera and both had a large number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The report indicated that while there was a pandemic plan in place at Maples LTC they were not prepared for the staff reductions once they had to self-isolate after becoming exposed to the virus.

In Stevenson’s report released today she made 17 recommendations for Revera – the owner of the facility, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the Health Incident Command Structure and Manitoba Health and Seniors Care.

“While a number of the specific findings have already been implemented, there are other recommendations that need to be implemented not only at Maples, but at other sites and across the health system,” said Stefanson.

Manitoba Health and Seniors Care Minister Heather Stefanson noted that many of the recommendations are already being implemented including ensuring additional skills training for security and general labour staff, strengthening pandemic staffing plans, enhancing care plans for residents in outbreak situations, and improving communications with families.

The minister said, “Work is underway to develop a plan on how to implement the findings of the review at sites across the province in the longer term as well as how this work can be integrated into the department’s new focus on seniors care, as part of Manitoba’s health system transformation and Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan.”

Stefanson noted that the province intends to have a plan in place within the next 30 days to implement the recommendations in the report.

© News4.ca 2021