Nursing home inspection records should be publicly available

Transparency and accountability required

HALIFAX – The NDP Caucus is calling on the Liberal government to make the results of routine nursing home inspections public. Following numerous stories about the declining state of care in nursing homes, families should be able to know the results of inspections at these health facilities.

“Long-term care facilities in our province are home to some of our most vulnerable citizens. We should be doing everything possible to make sure residents are safe and well cared for,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “Having public access to inspections would add another layer of accountability for those in charge of providing care and assure the public that the Liberal cuts to nursing homes are not negatively impacting care.”

Most provinces in Canada already provide the results of inspections to the public online. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland do not, while Quebec’s inspections are done by arm's length, non-profit organizations.

“Families should be able to see the inspections of the homes where their loved ones are being cared for,” said Dorothy Dunnington whose sister Chrissy lived in a nursing home and died earlier this year from a pressure wound. “Protecting residents should be the top priority. Keeping these inspections away from the public doesn’t help.”

Nova Scotia’s nursing homes are inspected at least twice a year by a provincial inspector.

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