NDP releases report citing worker harassment at Parkside Extendicare

The COVID-19 outbreak at the Parkside Extendicare long-term care home in Regina was one of the worst in the province, and the NDP now has a document that raises more questions about what happened there.

On Tuesday, the NDP released an inspection report for the home dated Dec. 2, 2020, which was before the outbreak really took off.

The report lists concerns from the inspector and things the home could be doing better. It included comments like there being inconsistent donning and doffing procedures, residents’ hands not always being cleaned before eating, and not washing hands for 15 seconds.

But the NDP points to two comments in particular – “staff report being ‘harassed’ if need to stay home (symptomatic)”, and “some staff indicated can only have one mask and others indicated no issues with getting additional masks.”

“The track record of warning signs at Extendicare were there for years and years and years before the outbreak began at Parkside,” said Matt Love, the NDP’s seniors critic.

Love said the government failed to act on those warning signs.

“They had, at that time, over seven years of CEO tour reports. They had ombudsman reports that had findings that were across the board for long-term care that were not acted on,” said Love.

Everett Hindley, the province’s minister for seniors, said the report didn’t come across his desk specifically, but he did point out it was shortly after that inspection report that the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) went into the home and started a co-management agreement to make sure all the supports were in place that were needed.

Hindley said the agreement was extended more than once and since it ended in mid-February there have been regular check-ins from the SHA.

When asked about how staff were treated, Hindley passed the question on, saying it’s a good one for the company itself.

“These are Extendicare’s employees and staff and that’s the relationship, not directly with the Ministry of Health,” said Hindley. “This was an incident involving Extendicare and their employees directly.”

Hindley did agree that, given the province’s messaging that people should stay home if they’re sick, the details in the report are concerning.

Hindley said he already has asked the ombudsman to investigate what happened at Parkside, though there’s no indication as to when that might be finished. Hindley declined to comment on whether the province would be willing to end its relationship with Extendicare pending the results of the report.

“What matters is that we’re providing the best possible care for the senior citizens of our province and I look forward to the recommendations from the ombudsman that will help inform future direction for this government,” he said.

Over the course of the outbreak at Parkside Extendicare, there were more than 200 infections and more than three dozen deaths from COVID.