CBC New Brunswick | In Good Hands

Many of the people who live in New Brunswick's nursing homes are completely dependent on the staff that care for them.

And they rely on provincial inspectors to watch over the staff, making sure the homes are clean and safe.

On the heels of a critical report by New Brunswick’s auditor-general, a CBC News investigation has found several flaws with the inspection process.

Many homes received their operating licenses regardless of their inspection results. In some cases, homes received licenses shortly after inspectors found violations. In other cases, licenses were granted just a couple of weeks before provincial inspectors arrived.

And those violations were discovered despite the fact that homes had advance notice that the inspectors were coming. That was another aspect that the auditor-general criticized last year.

Cindy Donovan, the administrator of the Loch Lomond Villa in Saint John, said one day’s advance notice doesn’t allow homes to avoid scrutiny.

"I believe that [with] 24 hours [notice], if you don't have something done, you don't have something done when she arrives," she said.

Findings from the inspection report

Only two of 61 homes had perfectly clean inspections last year.
The average home had four violations of provincial regulations.
19 homes broke the rules on storing or serving food at proper temperatures.
13 homes didn’t follow the procedures on fire drills.
17 did not properly document how they were storing medication, hazardous materials and electrical appliances.

And Paul Thomas, who runs the Wauklehegan Manor in McAdam, said it’s all but impossible for the government to close down a home with violations.

"The licence can be withheld until the infractions are dealt with, but in the meantime, you can't take 37 or 38 old people and put them in the street, so what are you going to do?"

New Brunswick’s Minister of Family and Community Services, Tony Huntjens, says he agrees that the vast majority of violations are minor. And even one or two, out of 200 criteria that inspectors look at, amount to only a tiny percentage.

And he’s going to change the licensing system so that homes with violations receive only a temporary licence. They’ll get their permanent license only after they can prove to the province that they’ve corrected any problems discovered during the inspections.