Manoir Liverpool lost 75% of employees during first wave, inquest told

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Manoir Liverpool, the Lévis long-term care facility that’s currently the subject of a Quebec coroner’s inquest, had lost 75 per cent of its employees during the first wave of COVID-19, witnesses told public hearings.

The chaos and disorganization were described Thursday by the woman who was working as the Manoir’s general coordinator in the spring of 2020, Sylvie Guyot-Gagné.

“It was total panic,” Guyot-Gagné said.

Staff from the care team “ran away” from the residence and some refused to enter work for fear of contracting COVID-19, she added. Others were removed by public health because they showed symptoms or had been in contact with infected people.

Five of Manoir Liverpool’s six managers were removed by public health officials, according to Claude Talbot, who was then the owner.

Coroner Géhane Kamel is investigating the deaths that occurred during the first wave of the pandemic in CHSLDs and other residences for seniors or vulnerable people in Quebec. Eight establishments will be examined during public hearings; one death per residence has been chosen to facilitate the investigation. At Manoir Liverpool, it is the file of 60-year-old Jacques Lévesque that has been retained for investigation.

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Besides the lack of staff, witnesses also pointed to a deficient organizational structure that gave managers no clear tasks and responsibilities.

Many problems were not reported to managers. Following Lévesque’s death, Guyot-Gagné was only informed of the circumstances of his death when she received a visit from the police. The owner didn’t know what had happened either.

Gaps in care — many medication errors — have been identified, as have gaps in infection prevention. Things were disorganized, according to the general coordinator.

Employees were supervised, but as soon as managers walked away, some went from a red zone to a green zone without changing protective gowns, Guyot-Gagné said.

“It played a part in the contamination of the residence,” she said.

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Manoir Liverpool was the site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak during the first wave of the pandemic.

Employees needed to be trained on the proper use of personal protective equipment, but the person who could have done so was removed from their position because of COVID-19.

While resorting to staffing agencies became inevitable, regular employees were very reluctant toward substitute workers because they were mostly immigrants, Guyot-Gagné said. Many temporary workers, having been poorly received by Manoir staff, did not want to come any more, she explained. Guyot-Gagné claims to have stepped in on more than one occasion after employees made racist remarks.

Faced with mounting difficulties, Guyot-Gagné asked her superior to alert the Chaudière-Appalaches CISSS, which sent staff to the Manoir.

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This helped considerably but did not solve everything, Guyot-Gagné said.

“We were told to hide things from the CISSS,” she said.

Her position was abolished in June and she left the Manoir.

About half the deaths caused by COVID-19 in Quebec during the first wave occurred in residences for the elderly and vulnerable, Kamel recalled more than once.

Next Monday, the coroner’s inquest will shift to Longueuil to examine the deaths that occurred at the CHSLD René-Lévesque.

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