Sunnyside Home (247 Franklin Street North, Kitchener) is a nursing home that is owned and operated by Waterloo Region. There are approximately 260 beds.
Inspection Reports for Sunnyside Home
Our research team carefully reviewed and summarized inspection reports for Sunnyside Home You can read the original copies of the reports in the Government of Ontario website.
August 2023: Inspection
The inspection at Sunnyside Home focused on several critical incidents. These incidents included issues related to restraints, verbal/emotional abuse, neglect, plan of care, medication administration, resident falls, and improper care resulting in injury.
- Duty to Protect: A resident was neglected when left unattended on the toilet. This incident is a clear example of neglect as defined by Ontario Regulation 246/22, as it involved a failure to provide necessary care and assistance.
- Compliance With Manufacturers’ Instructions: There was a failure to use a fall prevention device as per the manufacturer’s instructions. This non-compliance resulted in delayed staff awareness when a resident required assistance after a fall.
- Transferring and Positioning Techniques: A Personal Support Worker (PSW) incorrectly performed a resident transfer, not adhering to the resident’s care plan. This failure posed a risk of injury to both the resident and the staff member.
- Responsive Behaviours: Strategies for a resident displaying responsive behaviors were not implemented. Specifically, PRN medications were not administered when needed, resulting in the resident not receiving necessary care.
- Medication Management System: The medication management system policies were not followed on two accounts. First, medication for responsive behaviors was not prepared according to the home’s policy. Second, the proper process of medication administration was not followed. Both instances risked the efficacy of the medication and potentially impacted the resident’s safety and well-being.
May 2023: Inspection
The inspection at Sunnyside Home focused on several critical incidents including allegations of staff to resident abuse, a resident abuse allegation, and issues related to residents’ rights and skin and wound care.
- Residents’ Bill of Rights: The home failed to respect a resident’s right to refuse treatment. Despite the resident’s refusal, a staff member attempted to provide care, causing the resident emotional distress.
- Reporting Certain Matters to Director: The home did not report an allegation of resident abuse to the Director immediately as required. This delay could have impeded the Director’s ability to respond promptly, thereby potentially affecting the outcome or resolution of the incident.
- Skin and Wound Care: When a resident exhibited altered skin integrity, a necessary skin assessment was not completed by a member of the registered nursing staff. This oversight could have impacted the treatment and healing of the resident’s skin condition.
February 2023: Inspection
The inspection at Sunnyside Home focused on various critical incidents, including fall prevention and management, medication management, and prevention of abuse and neglect.
- Transfer Method and Logo Consistency: There was an incident where a resident had an unwitnessed fall, requiring a change in their transfer method. However, the transfer logo in the resident’s room was not updated to reflect this change, leading to potential risks during transfers. This inconsistency was addressed during the inspection.
- Medication Management: A resident did not receive prescribed medication from September to December 2022 due to a failure in processing and dispensing the prescription. This error led to actual harm, as the resident experienced a change in condition during the period without medication.
- Fall Prevention and Management Program: After a serious injury was suspected, a resident was moved from the floor to their bed using a mechanical lift, contrary to the home’s policy. This policy stated that residents should not be moved in such cases unless immediate danger was present, indicating potential risks to the resident’s safety.
November 2022: Inspection
The inspection at Sunnyside Home focused on critical incidents involving falls prevention, abuse and neglect prevention, and medication management.
The inspection identified a significant non-compliance related to medication administration. Specifically, the resident was not given the updated dosage of medication as prescribed by the physician. For 20 days, the resident received the initial dose instead of the increased dose, continuing to experience symptoms that could have been managed more effectively with the correct dosage.
Despite the home’s “Medication Administration and Documentation” policy, which required registered nurses to administer medication as per the prescriber’s instructions and report any medication incidents, this was not followed. Five Registered Practical Nurses administered the initial dose without addressing or reporting the discrepancy.
The failure to administer the correct medication dosage for an extended period posed a risk to the resident’s health, potentially impacting their overall well-being.
October 2022: Inspection
During the course of this inspection, the inspector made relevant observations, reviewed records and conducted interviews, as applicable. There were no findings of non-compliance.
August 2022: Inspection
The inspection at Sunnyside Home focused on several critical areas including falls prevention, unexpected deaths, prevention of abuse, neglect and retaliation, responsive behaviors, and medication management.
- Transferring and Positioning Techniques (NC#001): The home failed to use safe transferring techniques when a resident fell. Despite the policy stating that mechanical lifts should be used after falls, staff manually transferred the resident, posing a risk of further injuries.
- Duty to Protect (NC#02): The home failed to protect a resident from abuse. A PSW was aggressive and rough with a resident, causing fear and skin redness. This was against the resident’s care plan which directed staff to use specific techniques in care provision. The resident’s right to safety was compromised.
- Falls Prevention and Management (NC#03): The inspection found that a resident who fell did not receive a complete post-fall assessment. This oversight delayed the diagnosis and treatment of their injuries, including a fracture.
The home was ordered to ensure staff are re-educated on the importance of immediately reporting abuse allegations. The failure to report an incident of physical abuse by a PSW promptly put the resident at risk and delayed necessary interventions.
May 2022: Inspection
During the course of this inspection, the inspector made relevant observations,
reviewed records and conducted interviews, as applicable. There were no
findings of non-compliance.
January 2022: Critical Incident Inspection
The Critical Incident System inspection conducted at Sunnyside Home focused on an unexpected death of a resident.
- Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPAC): The inspection identified a failure in ensuring staff participation in the implementation of IPAC, specifically related to screening staff upon entering the home and assisting residents with hand hygiene before and after meals and snacks. This failure posed an increased risk of disease transmission among staff, visitors, and residents.
- Hand Hygiene Policy: Staff did not remind, encourage, or assist approximately fifty residents with performing hand hygiene before or after meals and snacks in three resident home areas, contrary to the home’s Hand Hygiene Policy.
- Failure in Active COVID-19 Screening: A staff member was observed bypassing the active COVID-19 screening process, which was not halted by the security personnel. This lapse in protocol posed a risk of disease transmission.
A previously issued non-compliance related to the home’s policies, protocols, and procedures was revoked.