Ontario auditor: at least 99 patients placed in LTC homes without their consent

At least 99 hospital patients in Ontario have been placed in long-term care homes without their consent, the province's auditor general has found.

At least 99 hospital patients in Ontario have been placed in long-term care homes without their consent, the province's auditor general has found.

Opposition politicians and seniors' advocates have roundly criticized a law the Progressive Conservative government enacted last year to enable those moves, which can see those patients placed in homes up to 70 kilometres away, or 150 kilometres if they are in northern Ontario.

The annual report from the auditor general's office this week said the government has not been transparent in implementing the law. It allows hospital placement co-ordinators to transfer those patients to a home not of their choosing, and can see them charged $400 a day if they refuse.

The law is aimed at moving so-called alternate level of care patients, who can be discharged from hospital but need a long-term care bed and don't yet have one, in order to free up hospital space.

The auditor general analyzed the placements of 7,357 alternate level of care patients between the law taking effect in September 2022 and March 31 of this year, and found that about 40 per cent were placed in their first-choice home.

About 60 per cent were placed in a home the patient had ranked lower on their list, a comparable percentage to before the new law was introduced, the auditor said.

But 99 patients were placed in homes that were selected by placement co-ordinators without the patient's consent, the report said.