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RESIDENTIAL CARE NEWSLETTER Fall 2014
** Less Risk – Be er Health ** ** Less Risk – Be er Health **
Inside This Issue
New Technology ..................................2
Influenza Season ..................................3
Health Outcomes.................................4
Self - Monitoring ....................................5
Licensing Direct Evaluation ................6
Licensing Officers .................................8
Licensing Contacts ........................... 10
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Licensing has new technology!
We are excited to share with you that we have a new
database called Hedgehog.net . It was implemented at the beginning of November.
Changes you will notice include:
A New License
Your new license will arrive in the mail.
The manager’s name will no longer be printed on the License. It is your responsibility to
post the current manager’s name in your facility.
A New Inspection Report
The new report contains a list of 25 questions about facility compliance organized under
ten categories (see below). In the case of non-compliance, the Licensing Officer will
document an explanation on the report.
Residential Care Inspection Categories
Licensing Nutrition
Policy & Procedures Hygiene
Staffing Physical
Records & Reporting Program
Medication Care & Supervision
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Health Outcomes that affect Persons in Residential Care The Residential Care Licensing Program is
committed to influencing preventable health
outcomes.
The 3 biggest factors that that affects the
morbidity and mortality of persons in
residential care are falls, influenza and
pneumonia.
Licensing Officers will be focusing on these
three critical factors when doing inspections.
Licensees can prepare by:
Maintaining staff records of influenza vaccination status.
Documenting the pneumococcal and annual influenza
vaccinations status of persons in care.
Providing masks for staff and monitoring compliance.
Providing masks, hand sanitizer and posters at the facility
entrance for visitors.
Reporting pre and post fall strategies on incident reports.
Ensuring timely and thorough submission of incident
reports.
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Incident Reporting—HIGH PRIORITY
The Residential Care Licensing Program is placing the timely and thorough submission of incident reports on high priority.
If the incident report form is missing any required fields, you will be required to resubmit immediately.
In addition, your Licensing Officer will cite the facility in contravention of section 77 of the Residential Care Regulation if a trend is found in late or missing documentation.
A compliance plan will be requested for immediate actions that will bring the facility into compliance.
Two required areas that are often missing (indicated by the red arrows on the opposite page) are the:
Date and time of incident.
Notification of the funder AND family AND physician.
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Influenza Season
Influenza immunization is an important measure in protecting vulnerable residents.
Facilities licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act are expected to comply with the health authority’s policy on influenza prevention.
Licensing Officers will be monitoring for compliance through:
Inspecting staff records for evidence of receiving an influenza vaccination.
Monitoring that staff who have not been immunized are wearing a mask during flu season (December 1, 2014 —March 31, 2015
Observing that staff wash their hands regularly. Observing that the facility provides posters and masks at
entrances alerting visitors to wear a mask if they are not vaccinated.
Visit http://www.interiorhealth.ca/sites/Partners/ImmunizationResourcesTools/Pages/default.aspx
to find posters, frequently asked questions and many other resources.
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Self—Monitoring of Your Facility
Section 61 of the Residential Care Regulation states:
A licensee must regularly monitor the physical
environment of the community care facility, and the
care and services provided by it, to ensure that the
requirement of the Act and this regulation are being
met.
When a licensee demonstrates recurring
contraventions, Licensing may cite the facility for its
lack of self—monitoring.
An area of concern for licensing is the documenta-
tion of medication and treatment administration.
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Licensees can prepare by:
Monitoring the documentation of medication and
treatment administration and implementing plans
for improvement.
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In July 2013 a formal evaluation of the Licensing Program’s central intake model, Licensing Direct , was undertaken. The purpose was to learn more about what’s working well and what needs improvement. Licensing Direct was implemented in 2010 to deliver timely responses and consistent services to licensees, prospective licensees and the public across the Interior Health region.
What questions were we trying to answer?
What is the role of Licensing Direct? Does everyone have the same understand-ing of the role?
Is Licensing Direct achieving its objectives? What suggestions do stakeholders have for Licensing Direct going forward?
How did we gather some of the answers?
A total of 327 licensees (~31% response rate) and an additional 6 prospective licensees completed the surveys.
Interviews and/or focus groups with Licensing Program management, Licensing Officers, and Licensing Direct administrative staff were facilitated and analyzed.
What did we find out?
Licensees report a relatively positive experience with their most recent Licensing Direct interactions:
Licensing Direct Evaluation
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What suggestions for improvement were linked to improving communications?
Be able to speak directly to someone. Be advised of updates, changes, wait times. Provide a user-friendly website. Acknowledge email receipts. Deliver consistent information.
What did the evaluators recommend?
1. Share findings with stakeholders and participants. 2. Clarify internal Licensing Direct processes, staff roles and responsibilities and
ensure consistent understanding amongst program stakeholders. 3. Communicate regularly about internal Licensing Direct processes, roles, and
external client interactions.. 4. Investigate ways to improve the technological capabilities. 5. Continue to improve data reliability.
Now What? We will:
Restructure the licensing program to better define roles & responsibilities. This will improve our day to day oversight of Licensing Direct call volumes.
Investigate technology improvements that will better serve our clients Implement a new information system that will improve our ability to collect
important data. Monitor data integrity. Improve the website. Profile our Licensing Officers in our
newsletter so you get to know our staff.
Licensing Direct Evaluation—(cont’d)
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Susan Nesbitt, RN, BN
Susan is situated in Nelson and is the Licensing Officer for 24 sites in the West Kootenays.
The Residential Care Licensing Officer Team
Kathy Beck, RN
Kathy is situated in the Vernon Health Center and is the Licensing Officer for 40 sites in Vernon and the North Okanagan regions.
Mike Bulloch
Mike is located in the Kamloops Health Center and is the Licensing Officer for 40 sites in Kamloops and the Thompson—Cariboo regions.
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Celeste Fabris, RN
Celeste is located in the Kelowna Health Center and is the Licensing Officer for 30 sites in Kelowna and the South Okanagan.
The Residential Care Licensing Officer Team
Joanne Geddes, RN
Joanne is situated in Cranbrook and is the Licensing Officer for 18 sites in the East Kootenay region.
Susan Arnott, RN, BSN, GNC(c)
Susan is located in the Kelowna Health Center and is the Licensing Officer for 30 sites in Kelowna and the South Okanagan.
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Hours: 8:30 am—4:30 pm Pacific Time
Monday—Friday
Phone us: 1-877-980-5118
Email us: [email protected]
Fax us: 1-250-868-7760
Mail or visit us: 1340 Ellis Street, Kelowna, B.C, V1Y 9N1
On the web: www.interiorhealth.ca
Your Interior Health
Residential Care Licensing Team
Medical Health Officer Dr. Robert Parker
Director, Health Protection Roger Parsonage
Manager, Health Protection
Gretchen Rondestvedt
Vernon Health Center
Kathy Beck
Team Leader Pamela de Bruin
Nelson Health Center
Susan Nesbitt
Kelowna Health Center
Susan Arnott
Celeste Fabris
Kamloops Health Center
Mike Bullock
Cranbrook Health Center
Joanne Geddes
