Long-term care homes and agency didn't properly check fake nurse's credentials, Ontario documents show

One long-term care home in Hamilton that hired a fake nurse didn't properly check her credentials and two other care homes in Ontario didn't check them at all, according to provincial inspection reports.

The agency the purported nurse belonged to also didn't properly check her records, the reports say.

Without that check, they didn't see the 29-year-old Mississauga woman, who now faces criminal charges, was already named on the College of Nurses of Ontario's (CNO) list of unregistered practitioners, according to the reports.

"I am very surprised and that is very concerning," said Doris Grinspun, chief executive officer of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario. "That would be considered negligence." 

On March 8, Hamilton police announced charges against the woman, who's accused of forging a real nurse's credentials.

The woman worked at Arbour Creek Long-Term Care Centre and Heritage Green Nursing Home, both in Hamilton, and Eatonville Care Centre in Toronto between late October 2022 and mid-May 2023. At one of the care homes, her work involved administering drugs to 17 residents, according to inspection reports.

Heritage Green Nursing Home, a non-profit, is its own licensee. Responsive Management Inc. is the licensee for Arbour Creek and Eatonville.

Responsive Management Inc. was also one of six for-profit long-term care providers recently named in a class action lawsuit, claiming gross negligence that led to illnesses and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After employing the fake nurse, all three homes were issued provincial orders, which they have complied with, says Ontario's Ministry of Long-Term Care.

The woman's case is still before the courts. She's charged with fraud over $5,000, false pretence over $5,000 and four counts of using forged documents.

Hamilton police Sgt. Ben Adams told CBC Hamilton the woman was working with an agency and it was the first to notify police.

Adams and the long-term care homes refused to name the agency. However, CBC has confirmed through court documents that it's Dumelum Care Ltd. based in Hamilton.

Adams said he's not aware of any residents being harmed by the fake nurse, but said the situation is concerning.

"A person who is pretending to be a medical practitioner, having access to medication and being expected to administer them if they have no qualifications, could become a dangerous scenario. We're just fortunate that doesn't appear to be the case here," he said in a phone interview.