The Ministry of Labour has charged Southlake Regional Health Centre and its CEO with violations of the workplace safety act.
The Newmarket hospital faces five charges and Arden Krystal one charge laid under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) in connection with several incidents that took place in 2020.
"The safety and security of our nurses, physicians and all staff at Southlake is our top priority….We are disappointed with this development, given our clear commitment and actions taken to improve the safety and security of all our staff," said Kathryn Perrier, Southlake manager of corporate communications, in an email.
"Our frontline staff are the heart of our hospital, and what happened was not okay. In all three incidents, staff were caring for patients who had responsive behaviours," she said.
While Southlake did not provide additional details regarding the incidents, responsive behaviour is a term commonly used in health care to refer to actions, words or gestures made by persons with dementia in response to something negative, frustrating or confusing in their social and physical environment, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
The charges come one year — almost to the day — after the hospital pleaded guilty and was convicted on nine counts of violating the OHSA when a registered nurse and security guard were attacked in the emergency department and adult inpatient mental health unit in 2019.
The hospital was fined $80,000 in provincial offences and a 25 per-cent victim fine surcharge.
A request made by NewmarketToday to speak directly with Health Minister Christine Elliott about the second set of charges against the hospital in her riding was denied.
"As this matter is before the courts it would be inappropriate to comment," said Bill Campbell, media relations, communications division, Ontario Ministry of Health.
On Oct. 15, Southlake notified its staff about the charges in an email that also outlined the hospital's violence prevention strategy.
"We are writing to let you know that earlier this week Southlake was notified of charges from the Ministry of Labour against the hospital and our President and CEO Arden Krystal related to three incidents that took place in 2020….Thanks to everyone’s hard work and collaboration, over the last three years the number of incidents has continued to trend downwards. While this is a positive development, one incident is too many and we are committed to continue with these important initiatives," the letter said.
The Ministry of Labour has yet to respond to a request to provide a court date.
