Reports on Long-Term Care Homes

A LTC Home provides residential accommodation and care to individuals 18 years of age and older who require assistance with activities of daily living at frequent intervals throughout the day and/or 24/7 nursing care, in a Home-like environment. All LTC Homes are funded and regulated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

It is a priority for the government to pprovide resident-centered, high quality care that meets the needs of residents and their families and improves the quality of life in LTC Homes. The publication of all inspection reports and orders is part of the government’s commitment to public accountability and transparency.  It is also a legislative requirement of the Long-Term Care Homes Act. The reports are published so that everyone has access to information about LTC Homes

No.  Retirement Homes are NOT funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, are NOT licensed or approved under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 and are NOT included in the information contained on the website Reports on Long-Term Care Homes.

The Reports on Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes website is provided by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and contains information including public versions of inspection reports and any orders that have been issued for all LTC Homes in the province.

All reports are available to print by clicking on the PDF report, clicking on the “File” option at the upper left-hand side of the page, and choosing “Print.” Any technical issues regarding accessing or printing reports can be emailed to commentsltch@moh.gov.on.ca. Alternately you can call the ServiceOntario toll-free line at 1-866-532-3161 for assistance in getting a report.

To request French Translation(s) of a LTC Home’s inspection report(s) (and orders where applicable) please contact the ServiceOntario toll-free line at 1-866-532-3161.

No. Information on this website is intended as first step to help people in Ontario gather information about LTC Homes. Your local Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) will determine whether you are eligible and help you to complete an application and choose a LTC Home. You are also encouraged to visit each Home that you are considering before making a final decision

The Reports on Long-Term Care Homes website is a searchable database of all LTC Homes in Ontario with information about each one. You can find LTC Homes within a desired area and see a list of features in a Home, like the Home’s accreditation status. In addition, public versions of inspection reports and any orders that have been issued for each LTC Home will be available for printing. However, the information provided in the Reports on Long-Term Care Homes is NOT enough to determine if a Home is the best one for you or your loved one. You are also encouraged to visit each Home that you are considering before making a final decision.

You should contact your local Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) for more information about eligibility for admission and choosing a LTC Home. You are also encouraged to visit a number of LTC Homes in order to determine, first-hand, which one is best suited to meet the needs and lifestyle for you or your loved one. There are a number of checklists available when visiting a LTC Home:

• Home and Community Support Services Checklist
  Questions to ask when selecting a home and community support services provider.
• Residential Care Provider Checklist
  Questions to ask when selecting a residential care provider.

When considering a visit to a Home, you should telephone the LTC Home’s operator or administrator ahead of time to book an appointment. This is also a good time to discuss any questions about the Home, including any information about the Home you may have found on this website.

This website will NOT:

• recommend a LTC Home to you
• rank or rate Homes against one another
• issue a report card that grades LTC Homes on their current status in meeting Ministry standards

No, complaints cannot be made through this website. If you have a concern or complaint about a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home, you should follow the Home’s process for making a complaint. You are also encouraged to call ServiceOntario at 1-866-434-0144 to register your concern or complaint.

No.  The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provides the public with access to information about the performance of each LTC Home operator in meeting requirements under the Long Term Care Homes Act, 2007 and its regulations, as determined during a specific inspection.

The public version of the inspection report(s) (and orders where applicable) posted in each Long-Term Care Home is the same as the public version posted on this site.

Information for the Reports on LTC Homes for this website is taken from a number of sources:

• The information contained in each Home Profile was provided by each LTC Home.
• Accreditation Canada and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities have provided accreditation information. LTC Homes voluntarily apply to be accredited through Accreditation Canada and CARF Accreditation determines the extent to which the Home is meeting national standards for care delivery and operations and is used by a Home and other organizations to better the quality of their services.

Inspection reports (and orders, where applicable) are published to this site once they have been finalized, reviewed and issued to the licensee.  There is about a two month delay between the issuance of the inspection report and the time of publishing to complete this process.

• Long-Term Care Home Inspection Report Request

Note:  the Ministry is in the process of publishing all inspection reports and orders and will be up to date within two months of the issuance of the inspection report by June 2012.

You may notice that a Home has a number of Written Notifications of Non-Compliance. Non-compliance under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 (LTCHA) cannot be compared with ‘unmets’ that were reported before July 1, 2010.  In the past, an inspector (compliance advisor) may have verbally noted an issue with the Home or included it under observations, but may not have issued an ‘unmet’. Only serious issues of non-compliance were generally noted as ‘unmets’.  Today, all issues of non-compliance are identified and included in the inspection report.  If non-compliance presents a serious risk to residents, then there is usually an order issued along with the inspection report.

As a result of the province’s significant legislative changes (which took effect July 1, 2010), you may see that your Home, which previously may have had very few or no unmet standards, now has some Written Notifications along with actions/sanctions based on the severity, scope and licensee’s past history of compliance.  This does not necessarily mean that the care in the Home has changed but may simply be a reflection of the new requirements under the new legislation.

If an inspector finds non-compliance with requirements, the inspector must take at least one of the following actions:

1. Issue a Written Notification (WN)
2. Request a written Plan of Correction, to be implemented voluntarily (VPC)
3. Make a Compliance Order or a Work and Activity Order
4. Issue a WN and refer the matter to the Director for further action by the Director.

The Director has the power to make same two types of Orders that an inspector can make, as well as the following Orders:

• reducing or withholding funding;
• requiring the LTC home operator to retain someone to manage or assist in managing the home; and
• revoking the LTC Home’s licence, which may also include an Order to take control of the home.

In addition to these Order-making powers, the Director has the power to

• direct a Community Care Access Centre to cease admissions to a Home because of a risk to residents; and
• take steps to operate or take control of a municipal LTC Home

Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes are required to abide by provincial legislation, regulations, standards and policies to ensure residents receive the best possible care. The Ministry arranges regular inspections of every LTC Home to verify that they are in compliance with the requirements outlined in the legislation. The Ministry may impose orders on a Home in a variety of circumstances, including, but not limited to: (i) recurring or ongoing non-compliance; and (ii) presence of severe problems that put residents at risk.

All orders specify the required compliance date. The Long-Term Care Home is required to come into compliance by the compliance date. A follow-up inspection is scheduled to ensure the Home is compliant with the LTCHA and Regulations.

If you have concerns for the safety of a loved one living in an LTC Home under a suspension of admissions or sanctions, you have the following options:

• Seek clarification relating to any of your concerns from the local service area office of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
• Contact the local CCAC to discuss the possible transfer and relocation of your loved one to another Home.
• Request that your loved one be removed/discharged from the LTC Home into the care of a trusted relative.

Information available on the website does not rank or rate Homes and should not be seen as a ‘report card’ that grades Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes in meeting care standards.

The information available shows a LTC Home operator’s compliance or non-compliance status in accordance with the requirements set out in the legislation and regulations.

Information provided in the Inspection reports (and orders where applicable) is NOT enough to determine if a Home is the best one for you or your loved one. Please contact the LTC Home operator or Administrator, or your local Community Care Access Centre for other types of information available about the Home. You are also encouraged to visit any LTC Home that you are considering, before making a final decision.

Inspectors employed by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care inspect to ensure compliance with the Act and regulations.  At the end of each inspection an inspector prepares an inspection report.  If an inspector finds that the Home has not complied with a requirement of the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 or its regulations, the inspector must identify the non-compliance in the inspection report.

LTC Home inspectors may inspect a Home to follow up on a complaint or a reported critical incident on a previously issued order, or to conduct a comprehensive inspection.  The inspector uses the applicable Inspection Protocols to assess the issue and to determine whether the Home is compliant with the legislation.

When a LTC Home inspector finds non-compliance with a requirement under the LTCHA or its regulations, the inspector must then determine what Action to take, including what Order to make, as appropriate, see the Q/A above that sets out Actions/Orders of an inspector. The finding of non-compliance along with the Action or Order is identified in the Inspection Report.  An Order is served on the licensee, separate from the inspection report.

You can obtain a printed copy of the information available on the website in any one of the following ways:

• Print it from this website;
• Call the ServiceOntario toll-free at 1-866-532-3161; or
• Contact the LTC Home that you would like to get information about.

To request French Translation(s) of a LTC Home’s inspection report(s) (and orders where applicable) please contact ServiceOntario’s toll-free line at 1-866-532-3161. Translated reports can also be request by filling in the "Report Request Template" and emailing the completed template to commentsltch@moh.gov.on.ca.

Due to technical issues, the PDF Reports on Long-Term Care (LTC) Homes website are currently not compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. The Ministry of Health is currently working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, to request an accessible PDF of a LTC Home’s inspection report(s) (and orders where applicable) please contact Service Ontario’s toll-free line at 1-866-532-3161. Accessible reports can also be requested by filling in the "Report Request Template" and emailing the completed template to commentsltch@moh.gov.on.ca. Requested individual reports will be provided within 14 business days of the ministry receiving a request.

The Reports on Long-Term Care Homes website is designed to strengthen public accountability and transparency. Your feedback is important. Here are ways to communicate with us:

• General comments or questions
  Please visit our "Contact Us" page for general questions and comments. Note that this is not intended to support feedback about a specific Home.
• Questions about a specific Home
  For comments, questions or concerns about a specific Home, please call your local Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) for the type of information available, or telephone ServiceOntario at 1-866-434-0144.