May 29, 2015
Statement from Health Minister Sharon Blady
Manitoba families have every right to expect their loved ones in a personal care home are safe and provided with professional care. Today, Judge Michel Chartier released his report into the tragic death of Mr. Frank Alexander. This was an important, independent judicial process to help get answers as to what happened and how we can work together to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
No family should have to go through what these families did. I apologize to Mr. Alexander’s family and to the family of Mr. Joe McLeod. I am committed to implementing the recommendations that are in Judge Chartier’s report.
I have asked Karen Herd, deputy minister of health, healthy living and seniors, and Donna Miller, deputy minister of justice, to work together to develop an implementation plan for these recommendations and deliver that plan by Sept. 30. This implementation plan will be made public and updated as progress toward each recommendation is made.
Our government has worked very hard to make our home care program among the best in the country and to improve our long-term care facilities. Since we came into office, we have hired hundreds more personal care home staff to ensure each resident gets more direct time with staff, and we have added more than 1,000 personal care home and supportive housing beds. There are more than 300 personal care home beds in development right now to help our parents and grandparents receive the long-term care support they need, when they need it, closer to home. This includes new personal care homes in Winnipeg, Morden and Lac du Bonnet.
As a part of new personal care home construction projects, we are adding more specialized spaces for individuals with complex behavioural needs and we are investigating whether more existing personal care home beds could be enhanced to help residents with complex needs.
I thank Judge Chartier for the work that has been done in preparing this report, as well as all of those who testified throughout the inquest.
- 30 -