The province’s Auditor General says the government failed to provide sufficient care and oversight for residents in long-term care homes.

The audit, which covered a two-year period ending this past March, found gaps in safety practices, a lack of accountability, and serious concerns regarding the well-being of residents.

The AG found missing records for 27 criminal record checks and 39 vulnerable sector checks, noting that several checks were not completed until long after staff were hired.

Training was also an issue. Of the staff evaluated, 43 per cent had not completed their orientation, and 29 per cent had no record of training.

Meal safety was another major red flag. Almost one-third of swallowing assessments were not completed, and only 31 per cent were done according to the policy which require one be done every three months. Furthermore, kitchen staff at 20 per cent of the facilities lacked proper training to respond to a situation in which a resident is choking.

Other hazards included multiple homes improperly storing medication – with some medication carts left completely unlocked.

More than half of the audited homes had physical or environmental safety concerns, such as holes in the floors, exposed heating equipment, and cluttered hallways.

The Auditor General is recommending the government update its 20-year-old policy standards, establish an oversight board, and introduce performance indicators for long-term care homes.

The report also calls on NL Health Services to implement performance measurements and ensure audits are done consistently.