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The minister of long-term care has released the report from the independent commission to the media. It will be posted online shortly. Reading it now. In the meantime, here's a brief letter they sent with it: http://ltccommission-commissionsld.ca/report/pdf/Transmittal_Letter_to_Minister_Fullerton_April_30_2021.pdf
From the executive summary: Ontario wasn't ready for a pandemic and long-term care had been neglected. As a result, LTC residents and staff suffered terribly and died.
Interesting. The commission is recommending profit-driven entities have a role in investing in LTC infrastructure, but not caregiving, saying that should "mission-driven entities, whether for-profit or not-for-profit."
There's significant criticism of the long-term care sector prior to the pandemic and of the government's pandemic preparedness, as the Ford government has often talked about. But it's also highly critical of this government's "slow and reactive" response to the crisis.
Initially, Ontario prepared to help hospitals not long-term care homes, and transferring ALC patients to long-term care made the overcrowding worse, worsening the spread in homes, the commission says.
"Alarm bells should have been ringing loudly in Ontario."
This is highly critical of CMOH Dr. David Williams for not recognizing community transmission and asymptomatic spread, and what that would mean for long-term care. "Delay is deadly," the commissioners wrote.
And here's a link to the report: https://files.ontario.ca/mltc-ltcc-final-report-en-2021-04-30.pdf
"Staff told the Commission about crying before, during and after work, vomiting in locker rooms from stress, and watching residents whom they loved die in great numbers."
This account of the staff experience is devastating.
The commission says it's unclear why the second wave was worse, despite the government having months to prepare. Actions it did take weren't in time: hospital partnerships didn't take effect until November, new inspectors were still in training and training PSWs was too slow.
"The numbers do not tell the stories of residents who begged for help and answers as life slowly drained from their bodies and light dimmed in their eyes."
Among the recommendation: Counselling for residents and staff, paid for by the homes.
Also in the recommendations: "Now is the time to revisit the business of long-term care."
Apologies, I threaded the wrong tweet earlier. This is from the OHA and the OLTCA on the report: https://twitter.com/AnthonyDaleOHA/status/1388287827037786115
Here's our first story on the report. There will be more to come. https://twitter.com/QPbriefing/status/1388306836525301762
This is new and terrible. From CAF notes, on the delay in deployment: "26 residents died due to dehydration prior to the arrival of the CAF team due to the lack of staff to care for them. They died when all they need was 'water and a wipe down.'"
"Apart from fatalities due to COVID-19, residents died as a result of neglect due to staff shortages.... As a result of these conditions, some residents spent their final hours in complete isolation and ultimately died alone."
