Local management resumes at Campbellton nursing home
A year after the New Brunswick government stepped in to run a Campbellton nursing home, it says governance, staffing and occupancy issues have been addressed.
The province announced Thursday that the Campbellton Nursing Home Inc. is back under the control of a local board of directors.
The turnaround followed the firing of the nursing home's previous board of directors and top manager and the appointment of Tom Mann as trustee last August.
At the time, the province described the home as struggling with staffing issues, occupancy rates and budget pressures. Only 63 of the home's 100 beds were occupied, despite having more than 50 people on a waiting list for beds in the area.
A year later, a new 11-member board is in place and a new CEO hired. Thirty six new employees have also been hired, including 11 nurses from outside Canada, Mann told Radio-Canada.
While the home's total capacity was reduced from 100 to 85 beds to meet current standards, 82 of the beds were occupied Thursday. Two rooms were reserved for isolation space in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.
"I am able to say that I have accomplished the mission entrusted to me," Mann told Radio-Canada.
Dorothy Shephard, the province's social development minister, said in an interview that she was elated with the improvement since deciding to appoint a trustee.
"We looked at the operations and we just decided that we needed to make a wholesale change for the better of the home and the community," Shephard said. She believes it's the first time the province has done so at a nursing home.
Shephard said she could recall problems at the home when David Alward was premier between 2010 and 2014.
Mann said the workplace culture at the home has also changed over the past year. He said the first step to getting more beds filled was to focus on staffing and recruitment.
Documents obtained by CBC News through a right to information request offer insight into issues at the home, also known as The Village.
Eric Beaulieu, deputy minister of the Department of Social Development, wrote in a January 2019 letter that the home "has been struggling for several years to fulfill and maintain proper staffing complements."
The home had gone several years at only 85 per cent capacity, which an inspection found had dropped to 65 per cent. Beaulieu described that as concerning given the demand for nursing home beds across the province.
The letter indicates the home was operating on a "modified license" since 2015 because of repeated infractions discovered during annual inspections.
Letter outlines problems
"Infractions include staffing ratios below the required skills mix ratio for the home and issues with the Office of the Fire Marshal along with issues related to: proper food safety procedures, medication administration and major incident report," Beaulieu wrote.
The letter says issues were recurring for years without being addressed.
A March 26, 2019 letter from Beaulieu shows the province launched a financial review of the home. It also hired a consulting firm to assess human resource issues and make recommendations about recruitment and retention.
Those reports have not been released to CBC.
Wayne McWilliams started as the home's CEO on Aug. 4. McWilliams is originally from Tracadie and previously worked for NB Power. He spent nine years running a nursing home in Robertville.
"One of the mistakes we don't want to make is to [not] listen to families, [not] to listen to our board of directors," McWilliams told Radio-Canada.
Mann said the new board members have a personal commitment to the home.
Jana Allain Boudreau has been elected board chair. Boudreau said a grandfather, great aunt and great grandmother had lived at the home.
"I grew up going to the Campbellton nursing home and it plays a really vital role in our community," Boudreau said in an interview.
"I'm excited to be a part of it and offer quality care to the seniors of our region."
