Jeanne Atherden has stood by the Bermuda Government’s temporary takeover of Summerhaven, explaining the move came after months attempting to address issues at the care home.

Speaking at a press conference, Ms Atherden said that the situation at the facility appeared to be improving until a surge of new complaints began in October.

“The sad part is something happened and the gains that we made were lost,” she said.

Ms Atherden said while she had been reluctant to speak on the care home situation because many aspects involved personal issues for some residents, she felt the need to speak out owing to comments in the public domain.

“The ministry has been actively investigating and taking action on complaints about the treatment of residents at Summerhaven,” she said, noting that the facility was a privately run care home, not a government facility.

“After spending many months working with the Summerhaven board to improve conditions at the home, an administrator from the ministry was appointed in February. For three months, that person addressed many of the complaints and ensured that the facility was registered as a care home.”

She said the Summerhaven board and the ministry-appointed administrator worked together until a privately hired administrator was appointed in May.

“There was a positive transition from the government-appointed administrator to the Summerhaven administrator,” Ms Atherden said. “The ministry, however, continued to monitor Summerhaven and positive changes were observed and feedback from the residents was also positive.

“In October, after four months in the position, the Summerhaven administrator was dismissed. Residents held a protest, which was reported in the media. Since October, the ministry received complaints which escalated in frequency and severity, which were investigated.

“The ministry concluded that there was serious risk to the lives, health and wellbeing of residents at the facility.”

The Government subsequently went to court to ask whether ministry could take over the administration of Summerhaven until it was operating in accordance to regulations.

“To be clear, this is an action that has never been taken,” she added. “The magistrate recognised that many months of supportive government efforts took place to remedy the situation, but agreed with the Chief Medical Officer that residents were still at serious risk. We acted as we must in the best interest of the residents.”

Ms Atherden also noted that since the October dismissal of the administrator, the ministry ensured that the Summerhaven board launch a recruitment effort to find a new administrator. Asked how long the Government would continue its control of the home, Ms Atherden said she could not give a timeline, explaining: “We are putting the administrators in there, and some of the things they are looking at relate to the staff that are already there, the time of care plans that are required, and the fact that an administrator had been recruited, and that will be a key issue.

“If the board can come up with someone that has expertise and the qualities that can work with our appointed administrator to move it forward, then it is easier to transition.

“I am going on the basis that we are going to try to accelerate it as much as we can, but make sure we do the right thing.”

And asked if she felt the Government should have moved forward sooner, she said resources and regulations were a factor, along with the limitations of the law.

“Many times you are trying to work with people to try to make them understand the changes they need to make, and sometimes you don’t always have the ‘stick’ to deal with it, so you have to use the carrot,” she said.

“I think that by in large we have made positive changes and all the rest homes have progressed.”

Issues at Summerhaven were first raised publicly in 2008, with residents reporting that call bells are placed out of reach or are switched off for “complaining” residents and that those who complain were being victimised.

An independent review found that the Summerhaven Trust was “not effective at caring for its ageing and largely dependent resident population”, making ten recommendations to improve the facility.

By March of 2010, a government representative said the recommendations had been implemented. However, public allegations of mismanagement and mistreatment had resumed by June 2015, with staff and tenants sharply divided over its chairman. The issue was championed in the House of Assembly by PLP’s Glenn Blakeney, who called for the chairman’s resignation.