Fosterbrooke (330 King Street West, Newcastle) is operated by Extendicare, a for-profit operator of long-term care homes in Canada. There are approximately 90 beds in private, semi-private and shared rooms.
Fosterbrooke is formerly owned and operated by Revera.
Inspection Reports for Fosterbrooke
Our research team carefully reviewed and summarized inspection reports for Fosterbrooke. You can read the original copies of the reports in the Government of Ontario website.
🔍 December 2023: Inspection
The inspection for Fosterbrooke, conducted by Sheri Williams and Reethamol Sebastian, covered various intakes including alleged abuse incidents, environmental hazards, and follow-up on previously issued compliance orders.
- Zero Tolerance Policy: The licensee failed to comply with the home’s zero tolerance policy for abuse. An alleged abuse incident was not immediately reported to the Director, compromising the evidence and investigation.
- Air Temperature: The home did not maintain the required minimum temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. The licensee was ordered to establish a written process for immediate action when low temperatures are identified and to conduct weekly audits of temperature logs.
The licensee is subject to a re-inspection fee of $500 due to the second follow-up inspection for non-compliance with certain orders. Previous Compliance Orders were found to be in compliance.
🔍 September 2023: Inspection (Part 2)
The inspection for Fosterbrooke, led by Sami Jarour and Laura Crocker, included a review of various care and operational protocols such as skin and wound prevention, medication management, food services, and abuse prevention.
- Window Safety: The licensee remedied non-compliances found during the inspection regarding comfortable easy chairs for residents and window safety features.
- Communication System: The resident-staff communication system failed to clearly indicate when and where it was activated, posing potential risks to resident well-being.
- Air Temperature: The facility failed to maintain the minimum required temperature of 22 degrees Celsius in specific areas, leading to resident discomfort.
- Dining and Snack Service: Problems were noted in serving meals at appropriate temperatures, serving residents course by course, and assisting residents who needed help with eating.
- Housekeeping: High touch surfaces were not cleaned daily, increasing the risk of spreading infectious agents.
- Continuous Quality Improvement Committee: The committee lacked representation from a personal support worker, a member of the Residents’ Council, and a member of the Family Council, missing valuable insights.
🔍 September 2023: Inspection (Part 1)
The inspection for Fosterbrooke, led by Sami Jarour, was a Director Order Follow Up (DOFU) inspection.
Fosterbrooke did not comply with the Director’s Order issued on August 10, 2023, which required immediate retention of a mechanical engineering firm or HVAC Engineer/Technician. The goal was to supplement the home’s current system for air conditioning to cool every resident bedroom while maintaining a minimum temperature of 22 degrees Celsius by August 18, 2023. However, this was not achieved.
On August 31, 2023, inspections revealed that portable Air Conditioning (AC) units were installed in every resident room. However, most units were set at 24 degrees Celsius, with some rooms having temperatures below the required 22 degrees Celsius. Seventeen resident rooms had temperatures ranging from 20.3 to 21.9 degrees Celsius.
An email from a contracted HVAC technician highlighted the need for repairs and updates to the HVAC system to keep up with changing climate conditions. The home’s management indicated that these recommendations were forwarded to the head office, but no repairs were completed.
Due to the failure to comply with the Director’s Order, an Administrative Monetary Penalty of $1,100 is being issued.
🔍 August 2023: Inspection
The inspection for Fosterbrooke found that the facility failed to ensure air conditioning was operational in every resident bedroom during the period from May 15 to September 15.
A Mechanical Engineer’s assessment indicated that the current system does not comply with the air conditioning requirements of the Regulation. Despite the delivery of tempered outside air to each room and supplementary cooling from corridor heat pumps, there was inconsistency in temperature distribution, leading to some rooms being overcooled and others not adequately cooled.
The Director emphasized the health risks and discomfort for residents living without effective air conditioning, especially during hot weather, and highlighted the importance of ensuring all resident bedrooms are air conditioned.
An AMP of $25,000 was issued for failing to comply with regulations.
The Licensee is ordered to immediately engage a mechanical engineering firm or HVAC Engineer/Technician to determine and install a supplementary option for the home’s current system. This must result in air conditioning being installed, operational, and in good working order in every resident bedroom, without overcooling rooms and maintaining a minimum temperature requirement of 22 degrees Celsius, by August 18, 2023.
🔍 July 2023: Inspection
The inspection for Fosterbrooke, conducted by Holly Wilson and Sarah Gillis, replaces Compliance Order #001 with a Director’s Order issued on August 10, 2023, while confirming Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMP) #001 for $25,000.
This marks the first instance of the licensee failing to meet this specific requirement. Payment details for the AMP are to be provided separately, and funds for the penalty must not come from resident-care funding envelopes.
🔍 June 2023: Inspection
The inspection for Fosterbrooke, conducted by Sheri Williams, Holly Wilson and Sarah Gillis, focused on incidents related to equipment failure and improper resident transfers resulting in injury.
- Doors in the Home: Non-compliance was noted regarding doors leading to stairways and non-resident areas. These doors were not appropriately closed, locked, or equipped with access control systems, posing a risk to residents.
- Maintenance Services: There was a failure to maintain electrical and non-electrical equipment, including mechanical lifts, in good repair as per manufacturer specifications. This deficiency was highlighted by a resident’s fall during transfer with a lift, indicating the critical need for adherence to maintenance protocols for resident safety.
- Reporting of Incidents: The licensee did not include the names of staff members involved in incidents when reporting to the Director, which is required for transparency and accurate reporting
- Plan of Care: The licensee is ordered to ensure all direct care staff, including agency staff, have access to residents’ plans of care before providing care.
- Transferring and Positioning Techniques: Education is mandated for specific PSW staff and all agency staff on accessing residents’ plans of care and adhering to safe transferring and positioning techniques.
🔍 December 2022: Inspection
The inspection for Fosterbrooke, led by Basel Mansour and Julie Dunn, focused on issues related to missing controlled substances and COVID-19 outbreak management.
- Directive Compliance: The inspection identified non-compliance with the Minister’s Directive on COVID-19 response measures, specifically regarding the cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces more than once daily in outbreak areas. Despite staff claims of adherence, records and policies indicated a failure to meet this expectation, posing a potential risk of disease transmission.
- Infection Monitoring: The facility did not monitor symptoms indicating infections every shift as required, risking delayed interventions for residents.
- Medication Administration: A failure was noted in administering medication as prescribed to a resident, identified as a low-risk issue but indicative of procedural lapses in medication management.