Delayed Implantation of the menus of the Dr. Barrette

Photo archive
Gaetan Barrette

Nicolas Lachance

Thursday, march 15, 2018 00:00

UPDATE
Thursday, march 15, 2018 00:00

Look at this article

Reorganization difficult, deadlines, targets “unachievable” and contracts without a call for tenders with the private sector : the implementation of new menus for seniors, unveiled with great fanfare by the minister Barrette, is chaotic and will be delayed in the majority of establishments.

The draft revision of the food supply center for housing and long-term care (CHSLD) should be implemented in all of the establishments in Québec by march 31, according to the document of the ministry of Health, in which The Journal has obtained a copy.

However, almost all the centres integrated academic health and social services (CIUSSS) will not reach the goal set by the minister Gaétan Barrette. Some are the same deal, without tender, with private providers of processed food to hide the delays.

Photo Jean-Francois Desgagnes

The Newspaper has had access to the facilities of the preparation centre food of the university Institute of mental health (IUSMQ). At this location the food is prepared for dozens of NURSING homes in the region. The minister of Health launched the pilot project in Quebec city last year.

In 2016, the minister Barrette has done a spectacular dismount in order to enjoy publicly the new menus and promising their imminent arrival in the CHSLD.

Because of the magnitude of the project and the investment of time and energy, of the many branches of the food services of the province have asked the minister Barrette to defer the due date for completion of the project.

“Our CIUSSS has obtained a deferral. In particular, because we expect a significant number of NURSING homes […] and because the menu is multi-ethnic particular to the installation of the Montreal chinese Hospital “, explained in an e-mail the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal.

Food delivered by taxi

While the plan would allow ” the harmonisation and improvement of food services,”, the directions seem to be left to themselves. In some regions, there is no guideline. The distribution in some NURSING homes is also fantastic, while some administrations have even used taxis to deliver the food.

Photo Jean-Francois Desgagnes

Unions qualify the project “not feasible” due to cuts in the health system and the lack of recognition of employees.

“We launch the balloons, and after that, we try to put some plasters to patch up the leaks,” said Guy Laurion, vice-president of the Federation of health and social services of the CSN.

“We don’t give the means and support to staff to make the goods,” he said.

Blur budget

The budget of the project also seems far from being defined for all the CIUSSS. They have all responded that the project is done at ” no cost “, wrote to ” the operating budget “. However, they all had to buy new equipment and pay tens of hours of training.

“We are to assess the budgetary impact,” and ” too early to assess the impact on the budget “, have responded to the directions.

Many of the delays to provide

Photo archive

The ministry of Health recommends that new recipes with nutritional values added, the variation of menus for three weeks, and the choice of two menus per day for the 31 march 2018.

In time

CISSS de la Montérégie-West

• Implantation completed by march 20,

CISSS de l’abitibi-Témiscamingue

• Implantation completed by march 31,

CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent

• Menus available in 8 CHSLD on 13

• Implantation completed by march 17,

CIUSSS of the Capitale-Nationale region (pilot project)

• Menus available for 70 % of the clientele

• Implantation completed imminemment

CISSS de la Gaspésie

• Implantation completed

Late or out of time

Photo archive

CISSS of Chaudière-Appalaches

• Menus available for 70 % of the customer base by march 31,

• Implantation completed by the end of 2018

CIUSSS of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

• Menus available in 3 hospitals and 7 NURSING homes, either Lac-Saint-Jean-est, Domaine-Du-Roy and Maria-Chapdelaine

• The 14 other institutions of Jonquière, Chicoutimi and La Baie will be served by may 22,

The CIUSSS of the Center-West-of-the-Island-of-Montreal

• The new menus will be available ” in the coming months “

CISSS Outaouais

• 4 NURSING homes and two hospitals have rolled out the new menus

• The other 15 schools will be served by the fall of 2018

CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal

• Menus available for 41 % of the customer dated as of march 19,

• Objective to finalize the transaction by October 31,

CIUSSS of the West-of-the-Island-of-Montreal

• Menus available for 88 % of the customers

• Objective to finalise the transaction by the end of the spring

CIUSSS of the North-of-the-Island-of-Montreal

• Beginning of the introduction of new menus on April 8,

• A project with the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) is under development

CISSS de la Côte-Nord

• Implantation completed by the end of may

CISSS de Laval

• Implementation 50% complete by march 31,

CIUSSS of the eastern Townships

• A first phase implemented in 13 institutions on 34

• Two other phases planned in the fall of 2018, and in the winter of 2019

CISSS de la Montérégie-Est

• Menus available for 75% of the clientele

• Implantation completed by the end of the month of may

CISSS de Lanaudière

• Menus available for 70 % of the clientele

• Implementation completed by October 1,

CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre

• Implementation will begin in April

CIUSSS of the Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec

• Implementation by June

CISSS of the Laurentians

• Menus available in 3 CHSLD on 15

• Implantation completed by the end of the month of September

Exempt

Photo archive

CRSSS de la Baie-James

• Menus delivered in a timely manner

• Menus that surpass the expectations of the ministry

CISSS of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine

• Request for exemption has been granted

• Menus that surpass the expectations of the ministry

The private called in reinforcement in some centres

Photo archive

Frédéric Rousseau
President Ambrosia

Of principals have bypassed the rules and requested for private enterprise to provide the food transformed in order to achieve the objectives of the minister.

Since the month of January, a company of the South Shore of Quebec provides purees and products chopped CIUSSS, and this, without the contract or call for tenders. “These are agreements that are verbal, there is not a signed contract. There is nothing to clear, ” admitted Frederic Rousseau, the president of Food Ambrosia in Lévis, concocting purees in food to forms that resemble more to reality.

Direct Contact

Mr. Rousseau noted that some of CIUSSS was approached directly so that it can provide their distributor. “I am to be complementary to the directions of the minister “, ” he says. Since then, the company market directly with the food Distributor Colabor, who pays and provides products to institutions.

“How they organize themselves, that is their business. Me, what I want, it is their to sell the goods, ” he said. For the moment, this agreement is still temporary. It should end when the CIUSSS have completed their food processing chaotic. “They use our products to troubleshoot,” says Mr. Rousseau.

The latter argues that the government should require private distributors, who already have the expertise in the field, to provide the kitchens of the NURSING homes of the province. Mr. Rousseau noted that it would be able to provide all NURSING homes across the territory within two weeks, and this, with the nutritional values claimed by the minister Barrette.

Follow the rules

According to our information, the CIUSSS Chaudière-Appalaches has had to resort to this type of distribution because of the delays in the implementation. “We have a production plant for the food textured. Currently, we have not received the required equipment to enable us to provide all of this as we wish to serve, ” stressed Carole Bordes, the deputy director of logistics at CIUSSS.

It ensures that the authority has complied with the rules for the award of contract and contends that it has never made direct contact with the food processing company, contrary to the information obtained by The Newspaper.

“We are compliant with the procedure. We have asked our distributor to service the possibility to buy food textured. “