Quebec health minister orders external investigation into Manoir Liverpool residence
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé has ordered an external investigation into allegations of mistreatment and neglect at the Manoir Liverpool seniors' home in Lévis.
On Friday, the regional health authority for Chaudière-Appalaches released its own report detailing how residents at the private facility were underfed, infrequently changed and bathed, and given expired medication over a period of five years.
Now Dubé has asked for another report, this time looking at why the top managers at the health authority were not aware of the conditions at Manoir Liverpool.
"The first report is not the end but the beginning," he said.
Speaking at a news conference in Quebec City, Dubé suggested the owners of the residence may have "knowingly hidden things from the public."
He said measures are needed to hold residence owners accountable for the treatment of seniors in care.
The Quebec coroner's office is conducting its own investigation into several non-COVID related deaths at the Manoir Liverpool and the government is also investigating the Pavilion Bellevue, another facility belonging to the same owners.
Over the weekend, Seniors' Minister Marguerite Blais called on the head of the health authority for Chaudière-Appalaches, Daniel Paré, to defend his handling of the situation.
Paré is currently on secondment from his post at the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches and is overseeing the province's coronavirus vaccination campaign.
In a statement released on Saturday, Paré said that he wasn't aware of allegations mistreatment at the facility, which fell under his authority.
He wrote that monitoring systems had failed "to detect the mistreatment that was taking place at Manor Liverpool," adding that had he known, he would have "acted sooner."
On Tuesday Dubé spoke in support of Paré, saying that as head of the CISSS, Paré had acted in 13 cases where issues were reported.
Dubé noted that on each of those occasions Paré shut down or replaced the management of facilities where allegations surfaced.
Based on that track record, Dubé said he couldn't imagine why Paré would fail to act on Manoir Liverpool if he'd known what was going on.
Nevertheless, Dubé said the external investigation will reveal the chain of information pertaining to Manoir Liverpool and establish "why the information didn't go all the way up to the top of the CISSS."
Dubé concluded by stating the relationship between health boards and private facilities needs to change from supporting managers to supporting patients and residents.
