Maples care home accepting new residents again after review into facility

Winnipeg -

Maples Long Term Care Home can accept new residents starting Tuesday after a review was launched into the facility’s care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The provincially commissioned review was prompted by a paramedic’s anonymous Reddit post, flagging what they described as nightmare conditions.

An outbreak declared Oct. 20, 2020, lasted until Jan. 12, 2021.

During that time, 74 staff and 157 residents tested positive for COVID-19. Fifty-six residents died after contracting the virus, making it Manitoba’s largest and deadliest long-term care home outbreak.

The review found more could have been done to prepare and respond to COVID-19. External reviewer Lynn Stevenson’s 74-page report found the care at Maples to be more than reasonable prior to the pandemic.

It also identified gaps in pandemic planning at multiple levels.

READ MORE: Maples care home review finds gaps in pandemic planning, lack of urgency in calls for help

The province said in a news release the facility has since provided detailed status updates outlining its plans and efforts to address concerns, noting that these plans meet provincial standards.

According to the province, the focus is now to ensure safe and stable admission of new residents while maintaining a safe facility for existing residents. The plan must be monitored by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

The province said the facility’s admission plan will be monitored and allow one new resident per day, from Monday to Friday over the next three months.

The news release said the facility will be able to accept residents who are currently in hospital or in the community awaiting a placement at a long-term care home. This will help ease the strain on hospital capacity and help reduce wait time for needed surgeries.

The province said Maples’ license will remain under review, and officials will continue to make scheduled and unscheduled standards reviews of the facility.

Revera issued the following statement to CTV News:

“The team at Maples Personal Care Home are very pleased that Manitoba Health and the WRHA have approved the admission of new residents to Maples,” the statement read.

“We look forward to welcoming new residents and their families to the home. We want to thank the residents and their families for their support and to recognize our staff for their ongoing commitment to caring for the residents.

- With files from Josh Crabb