Audit flags reports of abuse, missing patients in N.L. long-term care

ST. JOHN’S — Newfoundland and Labrador’s auditor general found reports of abuse, medication errors and missing residents in the province’s long-term care homes.

An audit by Denise Hanrahan’s office says facilities received complaints about unexplained bruising and aggression between residents, including a reported strangulation incident.

It says the provincial health authority is not doing enough to make sure residents get safe, quality care.

Hanrahan’s report says there were no records of criminal background checks among hiring documents for nearly a fifth of 150 employees analyzed.

Her team also chided the health authority’s handling of wait-lists, saying that as of March, there were 730 people waiting for spots in a province with roughly 3,200 beds.

The audit report says the government spent about $482 million on long-term care in the 2025-26 fiscal year, which works out to about $151,000 per publicly funded bed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2026.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press