Le CIUSSS de l'Estrie – CHUS* has more than 2,000 beds in 24 residential and long-term care centres (CHSLDs).
The Protecteur du citoyen decided to intervene after receiving reports about these CHSLDs. Seemingly, the care provided was poor and the safety of the residents, compromised. The shortage of healthcare staff and the strategies for compensating for this understaffing were being blamed.
Findings
CIUSSS de l'Estrie – CHUS introduced contingency plans in its CHSLDs. The main goal was to prevent service interruption given staff shortages.
However, the Protecteur du citoyen saw that this strategy had created numerous problems. The investigation revealed:
- Disturbing practices, including some that amounted to mistreatment of the residents;
- That staff and managers were exhausted and distressed;
- Communication problems and lack of transparency with the residents and their families.
During the investigation, the CIUSSS displayed a genuine will to improve the well-being of residents and staff. It has already taken action to correct the situation. However, given the gravity of its findings, the Protecteur du citoyen made seven recommendations, all of which were accepted by the institution.
The Protecteur du citoyen will keep a close eye on the implementation of its recommendations and on the results obtained by the CIUSSS.
English summary of the intervention report concerning CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS (PDF, 123 KiB)
*Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l’Estrie – Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke
The Protecteur du citoyen sees to it that the rights of health and social services network users are upheld. Want to report a troubling situation you have witnessed? Do you feel that the rights of a service user or several service users have not been respected? Report it by calling us at 1-800-463-5070 or by using our online complaint form.
