| New Inspection Process Under Way in Long- Term Care Homes September 2010- The new Long-Term Care Homes Act and regulations came into force on July 1, 2010. A major change is taking place in the long-term care homes inspection system, which has been renamed the Long-term Care Quality Inspection Program. The Inspection Program will focus on the resident experience and quality of life and will include resident, family and staff interviews as well as observations. It also makes use of technology to provide mobile capability, reports and analyses. How is it different from the system it is replacing? This is a frequently asked question by family members, residents and those who are either involved with or concerned about long-term care. The answer is: in most every way. In essence, the new system focuses on the degree of risk to the resident's quality of life, as determined from the resident's data, rather than on the number of unmet standards as in the previous system. How will the inspection process work? The Ministry of Health and Long-term Care (MOHLTC) will continue to inspect all LTC homes annually. A nnual inspections under the new system will begin in late fall of this year and all homes should have received their first annual inspection under the new system by the end of 2011. However, the MOHLTC has been field testing the new system and training the inspectors in the months leading up to July 1. It has been responding to critical incident reports, as well as conducting complaints inspections and follow-up reviews since July 1. A team of inspectors will arrive unannounced at a home to conduct the inspection. The new inspection process The new inspection process has two-stages. In Stage 1 a randomly selected group of 40 (or a smaller group in the case of homes with fewer beds) residents will be interviewed by an inspector. Staff and available family members are also interviewed. In addition, there are mandatory interviews with the Residents' Council and the Family Council to determine that the home is meeting the regulatory requirements for the creation and assistance to these Councils. The inspection also includes observation and analysis of residents' data to determine if there are areas that need a Stage 2 inspection. If Stage 2 is required, the inspector investigates to determine whether or not the inspection protocols are being met in that home. All findings are immediately entered into a computer program. The ministry is working on a new glossary of terms for the inspection protocols that are not being met. A report is produced and given to the home. What are Mandatory Inspection Protocols? Inspection protocols have been developed with a focus on the resident and the outcomes of the care provided in that home. The protocols guide the inspectors to ensure compliance with the Long-Term Care Homes Act. These protocols provide the direction and questions for annual inspections as well as other inspections such as complaints, critical incident and follow-up inspections. The following Mandatory Inspection Protocols are completed in each annual inspection:
Non-Compliance and Sanctions All non-compliances found during an inspection are identified in the inspection report that is available to the public. The actions or sanctions taken by the inspector will depend on the severity, scope of the non-compliance and the compliance history of the home. The possible actions include:
The Long-term Care Quality Inspection Program represents a complete transformation of the inspection process. It appears to be a sincere and well-researched effort to revamp the system to meet the needs of residents and to assist operators to provide the standard of care required by the MOHLTC. It is still a work in progress, and Concerned Friends continues to be a member of the MOHLTC Compliance Transformation Advisory Group. We will continue to bring you updates on the new system. |