HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

1 The Community Care and Assisted Living Act, S.B.C. 2002, c. 75 is amended by adding the following sections:

Annual inspection

9.1  (1) Every licensed community care facility must be inspected at least once a year.

(2) No notice may be given of any inspection required under subsection (1) or any other inspection of a community care facility, subject to any exceptions provided by regulation.

Inspection report

9.2  (1) After completing an inspection, the director of licensing or medical health officer must prepare an inspection report and give a copy of the report to the licensee, the minister, and to the Residents' Council and the Family Council, if any.

(2) Where the inspection is required under section 9.1, the director of licensing or medical health officer must prepare a summary of the inspection report and provide it to the Residents' Council and the Family Council, if any.

(3) If the director of licensing or medical health officer finds that the licensee has not complied with a requirement under this Act or its regulations, the director must document the non-compliance in the inspection report.

Recognition

9.3  The minister may recognize community care facilities with an excellent record of compliance with the requirements under this Act.

Reports to be public

9.4  (1) The minister will establish and maintain an electronic registry of every inspection report or order under this Act.

(2) The electronic registry must

(a) be available at the ministry's website;

(b) include instructions on how to use the registry and interpret results posted on the registry; and

(c) include a glossary of terms that are relevant for users of the registry.

(3) The minister must update the registry within two weeks of receiving an inspection report or order under this Act.

(4) The information in the electronic registry will be searchable by the following:

(a) the name of a community care facility;

(b) the location of a community care facility;

(c) the postal code of a community care facility;

(d) a specific contravention under this Act;

(e) the licensee of a community care facility.

(5) The website at which the registry is available must have a function to allow a user of the registry to create reports as follows:

(a) organizing the criteria outlined in subsection (4);

(b) comparing the inspection reports, orders and substantiated compliants for two or more facilities;

(c) any other prescribed criteria.

(6) The requirement to publish and maintain the registry applies in addition to any other provision set out in this Act or any other enactment or regulation respecting public access to the documents listed in subsection (1).

(7) The registry will be reviewed periodically, as prescribed by regulation.

 
Explanatory Note

This Bill amends the Community Care and Assisted Living Act to improve accountability and systems of care for seniors in community care facilities and their families. The Bill mandates random annual inspection reports of community care facilities and provides that all inspection reports be published on the minister’s website and accessible to the public through an electronic registry. The electronic registry will allow the public to search facilities by location, facility name, licensee name, infraction or postal code, and will allow users to create reports comparing conditions in several community care facilities.