Personal care homes are an integral component of the Newfoundland and Labrador health and community services residential care system. Personal care homes (PCHs) are private, for-profit, residential settings primarily for seniors and other adults requiring assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living.
The Health and Community Services Act (the Act) provides the Department of Health and Community Services (HCS) with the overall responsibility of regulating PCHs in the Province.
Licensing and Inspection Requirements
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) is responsible for licensing and monitoring PCHs for compliance with the Act, the Personal Care Home Regulations (the Regulations), and any policies, standards and guidelines established by the Department.
In support of these licensing responsibilities, various inspections are completed by NLHS and the Department of Digital Government and Service NL (DGSNL), in accordance with the Provincial Personal Care Home Program Operational Standards.
NLHS is responsible for monitoring PCHs to ensure compliance with quality of care standards. DGSNL conducts annual inspections to assess compliance with various health and safety legislation and standards.
Digital Government and Service NL Inspections
There are three types of inspections conducted by DGSNL in their role to support the licensing of PCHs:
- Environmental Health Inspections (also known as facility inspections)
- Fire and Life Safety Inspections
- Food Premises Inspections
These inspections occur annually and are unannounced. The inspections are completed at various times throughout the year, and at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the PCH licence issued by the NLHS. Additional inspections are completed by DGSNL throughout the year if follow up is necessary, or when a complaint is received.
Upon completion of an inspection, DGSNL provides a copy of their inspection report to the PCH owner/operator and the NLHS. NLHS takes the results of DGSNL’s inspection into consideration when determining licensure status of a PCH.
There are three potential outcomes of DGSNL inspections:
- Recommended for Licensing: On the date of the inspection, there were no deficiencies identified.
- Recommended for Licensing (minor deficiencies): On the date of the inspection, there were deficiencies found however, they do not constitute any immediate health, fire protection or life safety risk.
- Do Not Recommend Licensing: On the date of the inspection, there were deficiencies identified that required immediate attention.
Licensure and Inspection Status
As the licensing authority, NLHS can provide conditional licensing that may be separate from the requirements under the inspections conducted by DGSNL. For more information about the licensure status of a PCH, please visit Personal Care Homes – Health and Community Services (gov.nl.ca).
The inspection status of DGSNL inspection activities is available as follows:
Inspection reports for individual PCHs are available to the public in hard copy upon request to the regional Government Service Centre responsible for each particular facility. https://www.gov.nl.ca/dgsnl/department/contact/#locations