Administrator to oversee Victoria seniors home cited for neglect

The Vancouver Island Health Authority will take over the administration of a seniors home in Victoria following a month-long review that found the privately run facility has not been able to meet the minimum standard of care.

In the Quality of Care Review, released Friday, the Beacon Hill Villa was found to have a high staff turnover, a lower than allowed level of staffing and staff members who aren't properly trained in their duties, said Mike Conroy, the health authority's chief operating officer.

The health authority has appointed an administrator to oversee operations, has stopped admissions at the facility and has given the owner 90 days to prove it can manage the 80-bed retirement home properly.

"We have lost confidence that it can be done, so we're stepping in and appointing an administrator," Conroy said.

Theadministrator will be on site every day in the next six months to ensure that there is enough staff, that incidents are reported and that basic needs aren't ignored, said Dr. Richard Stanwick, the authority's chief medical health officer.

"Not only do baths get missed, but we're seeing situations where medications were reported as being given and weren't," Stanwick said.

But the health authority's solution is not sustainable, said B.C.'s opposition party leader, Carole James.

"The only reason we saw [the] health authority act is they knew this would become a public story," the NDP's James said Friday.

The New Democratic Party releasedinternal health authority documents on Wednesday, revealing that Beacon Hill Villa had violated the province's care standards 12 times over five yearswhile continuing to operate without sanctions.

The health authority could have revoked the seniors home's licence based on the findings of the review but chose not to, Stanwick said Friday.

"Given the size and scope of the operation — up to 80 fragile people —a re-allocation could in fact be worse than where they are," he said. "Quite frankly, we need the beds. We can't take them out of the system."

James said care at seniors homes won't improve until the provincial government orders an independent review of the system's shortcomings.