Two staff members at The Pines Long-Term Care Home in Bracebridge have been fired after a “serious incident” on Dec. 6.
In a report to the District of Muskoka’s Health Services Committee on Jan. 19, Jennifer Ridgley, administrator at The Pines, says that after an internal investigation, it was revealed the two staffers physically restrained a resident “unnecessarily,” did not respect a resident’s right to refuse care, inappropriately made contact with a resident, and failed to follow protocols regarding responsive behaviours and resident abuse.
The investigation led to the two staff members being fired.
According to Ridgley, the staff members involved were put on administrative leave while an investigation was done. The family members of the affected resident were also told about what happened as well as the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
While an internal investigation was done, Ridgley writes the OPP is also investigating what happened.
Ridgley continues in her report that a third registered staff member “failed to act” after they found out about the incident on Dec. 5. That staffer was suspended and was made to complete a remedial education course. What happened was also reported to the Ontario College of Nurses.
“The Pines developed an action plan to address this incident and to prevent further incidents from occurring,” writes Ridgley. “The plan includes educational strategies that have been developed.”
In her report, she notes there were four staff-on-resident incidents in 2020, eight in 2021, and nine in 2022.