Saskatchewan·UpdatedProvincial auditor Tara Clemett says the Ministry of Health is giving too much notice to special care homes ahead of inspections and her office has found instances where patient care plans had suddenly been updated.Health ministry says it will do more unannounced inspectionsListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The provincial auditor recommends the ministry of health find out whether it has enough resources to carry out “risk-based” inspections of special care homes, as well as re-inspections. (Shutterstock)In a report released Tuesday morning, Saskatchewan’s provincial auditor found that inspections of special care homes are not frequent enough. The auditor, Tara Clemett, also raised other concerns, including the need for “risk-based” assessment of homes, and the high rates of antipsychotics given to long-term care residents who have not been diagnosed with psychosis. On Tuesday morning at the legislative building, Clemett broke down her analysis of the Ministry of Health’s process for inspecting special care homes, or homes that provide personal and nursing care to people who can no longer live independently due to health conditions, disabilities or advanced age. According to the 2025 report, the ministry began inspecting special care homes in December 2021, with a plan to reach each home in the province within three years. As of July 2025, four years later, 30 of the 161 spots across Saskatchewan have yet to be inspected.Clemett said the Ministry of Health is giving too much notice to special care homes before inspections are done. As a result, her office found instances where care plans had suddenly been updated.“What we found in terms of other jurisdictions is that they undertake unannounced inspections, because otherwise if you do give a special care home notification that you’re coming, we did find instances where all of a sudden the care plans are updated,” Clemett said. Saskatchewan provincial auditor Tara Clemett tabled the second volume of her 2025 report on Tuesday, Dec. 9. (CBC)Some of the care plans hadn’t been updated in a year to two years, indicating that the ministry’s four-week inspection notice allowed homes to make sure they are in compliance beforehand, she said. “Doing unannounced inspections would be probably a better process to get a better sense and a true representation of what is the care that special care home is providing when the ministry goes on site.” The auditor found five Saskatchewan special care homes had “critical incidents” between April 2023 and June 2024, but were not inspected by the ministry until 2025. The report therefore recommends risk-based inspections and independent follow-ups to make sure residents are safe and have proper quality of care.Antipsychotics in long-term careThe auditor’s office found that in 2023-24, nearly 35 per cent of Saskatchewan long-term care residents were given antipsychotic drugs without a diagnosis, which Clemett said is “essentially chemically restraining them.” That number is well above Canada’s overall rate of approximately 25 per cent.LISTEN | Sask. auditor joins The 306 to talk about latest report:The 30612:06Sask. provincial auditor joins The 306 to talk about latest reportTara Clemett, Saskatchewan’s provincial auditor, joins The 306 to talk about her latest report released Tuesday.Lilian Thorpe, a professor of community health and epidemiology, said antipsychotics can be used for a variety of things, not just for the treatment of a psychotic disorder. That can include for the treatment of severe aggression. “It is something that is not recommended to do often, but in a situation where a person may put himself and others at risk, that is something that does happen and may be entirely reasonable,” she told CBC. Thorpe said it’s hard to interpret the 35 per cent figure presented by the auditor. The figure alone doesn’t indicate each patient’s diagnosis and the rationale for the use of the antipsychotic, Thorpe said. “[A] complex answer to a complex question, which is often put out in a black and white format,” she said. As of July 2025, six inspectors, all based in Regina, were responsible for conducting inspections provincewide.”Going every three years is not going to be frequent enough,” Clemett said.”So first: risk-based approach. Which homes should you be visiting? How frequently should you be visiting them? Do they have poor care indicators? Do they basically have a fair amount of critical incidents? Do they have public complaints?”Health ministry respondsThe government is failing seniors and their families, opposition MLA Meara Conway said on Tuesday. The Sask. NDP wants the government to conduct more surprise inspections.“When [inspections] are happening, they’re often announced, which is not great because it doesn’t give us a real picture of what’s actually going on in those homes,” Conway told reporters.“It’s chilling. These are the people that built our province. This is the golden generation. We should be taking care of them. We’ve known about these issues for years.”In a statement to CBC sent Tuesday afternoon, the health ministry said it plans to change policies based on the auditor’s recommendations and will increase unannounced inspections and follow-up inspections, publicly report inspection results and develop a risk-based inspection model.Inspections can be delayed for various reasons, including illness outbreaks in a facility and bad weather, the statement said.The ministry also defended the use of antipsychotic drugs in special care homes.”The use of antipsychotics may be reasonable in some cases such as severe agitation, aggression, acute delirium, or psychosis,” its statement said.“Care homes are required to obtain a written order from a qualified health practitioner and must discuss and obtain written consent from the resident and their family before administering these medications.”ABOUT THE AUTHORLaura is a journalist, radio host and newsreader at CBC Saskatchewan. She previously worked at CBC Vancouver, CBC Toronto and The Globe and Mail. She has also guest reported on the BBC World Service. Laura specializes in human interest, arts and health care coverage. She holds a Master of Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia. Send Laura news tips at laura.sciarpelletti@cbc.caWith files from Alexander Quon
Sask. auditor flags inspection shortfalls at special care homes, high rate of antipsychotics use
