Three Ehpad of the Bridge group in the Haut-Rhin have been placed under provisional administration after inspections carried out by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) and the departmental council revealed “malfunctions” putting residents “in danger”.
During several inspection missions carried out between May 2022 and August 2023 in the accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (Ehpad) Les Fontaines in the municipalities of Lutterbach, Kembs and Horbourg-Wihr, the ARS and the European community of Alsace (CEA) “found malfunctions which seriously deteriorate the quality of care for residents and thus put them in danger”, announced the ARS, confirming information from the newspaper Alsace.
“We were alerted by families several months ago. Unannounced checks were carried out,” explained Karine Pagliarulo, Vice-President of the CEA in charge of support for the elderly. “There were issues related to the lack of staff, and it got even worse in August. It was, for example, meal trays delivered to rooms but to people unable to eat alone. It was the families who had to feed the residents, for those who had family. And for those who didn’t… we don’t really know”.
She also mentioned other “shortcomings”, in particular for the toilet of the residents, or the prolonged absence of a director in two of the three establishments and salary delays. And “when you’re not paid, you don’t really want to come to work,” added Karine Pagliarulo. The three establishments, which welcome 214 residents in total, were until now managed by the company Les Fontaines Ehpad, of which the Bridge group, chaired by Charles Mémoune, is the sole shareholder. Asked, the directors of the three establishments made no comment.
The management of the Bridge group, it evokes “difficulties in recruitment and presence of staff”. “We have put in place a recruitment plan, but it is not easy”, indicates the management, while ensuring that “things are moving in the right direction”. Diego Calabro, director general of the Mulhouse Diaconate House Foundation, has been appointed provisional administrator for six months. Its mission aims to “establish the human and material conditions allowing the quality of care and support to be preserved in a sustainable manner” in the three nursing homes, said the ARS.
In May 2022, the Flore de Saint-Agnan (Yonne) nursing home, also belonging to the Bridge group, had already been placed under provisional administration, the ARS of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté evoking “a large number of malfunctions” putting “ seriously jeopardize the health and safety of the people received”. The Bridge group has since taken over the management of this establishment.
Similarly, in March 2022, the Ehpad of the Bridge Les Opalines group in Moutiers-en-Cinglais (Calvados) was banned from welcoming new residents for six months. The administrative court had observed that the lack of personnel did not allow “to ensure satisfactory care for residents during toilets, meals and bedtimes”.
