Joy Vervoort, representative of H.J. McFarland Home presents concerns about resident care at a previous meeting held on December 15, 2015. (Photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber / Quinte News)
Prince Edward County is once again parting ways with senior management at H.J. McFarland Home.
Tuesday night, council opted to cut ties with Saint Elizabeth health care after its contract is up in June and will hire an exterior recruiter immediately to begin the process of looking for a new director of care and administrator at McFarland.
Saint Elizabeth took over daily operations at the municipally run nursing home following the dismissal of two senior managers in 2014. (Lori Kimmett, director of care and Beth Piper, administrator.)
During the 2016 budget deliberations in December of last year, it became quite clear that council wasn’t too keen on the idea of tax payers footing the annual $600,000 bill to contract Saint Elizabeth – $320,000 more than Kimmett and Piper combined.
The quality of care at the home came under fire about a week later when council was presented with a report outlining an investigation by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care at McFarland that resulted in 20 written notifications, three of which were considered significant enough that the Ministry issued four compliance orders.
On Tuesday, Commissioner of Corporate Services Susan Turnball who oversees administration at the home, presented a report that provided council with two options – enter into a contract with a third party provider or recruit a new administrator and director of care.
Mayor Robert Quaiff is pleased with council’s overwhelming decision to choose the latter of the two.
“At the end of the day council did the right thing to make sure we get the right management,” he told Quinte News in an interview following the meeting.
Quaiff said the recruiter will see what’s out there, look within the County and they (the municipality) should get proper professionals inline to adhere with the goals and vision they have for the residents at H.J. McFarland Home.
Recruitment will begin immediately at a cost of $35,000. Then once the positions are filled Quaiff explained the new hires will be able to transition and look at the facility before the Saint Elizabeth contract expires June 18, 2016.
Quaiff adds the price tag of $325,000 for the new management positions with occasional costs for consulting support as required is more manageable for the County.
“Legislatively we had to provide care at the time (after Kimmett and Piper were dismissed) and Saint Elizabeth was contracted but due to the cost we felt it was better to explore other avenues,” said Quaiff.
