Regulator orders Lappi to bring Inari care home into compliance by end of summer

The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) has ordered the Lappi Wellbeing Services County (Lapha) to bring the Männikkö care home in Inari into legal compliance by the end of August, following an unannounced inspection.

The inspection was triggered by a resident’s death at the facility in early January. Valvira found that staffing levels at the 57-bed home were insufficient, with indirect tasks such as dishwashing consuming significant care worker time.

Under current elderly care law, the unit’s staffing ratio is calculated at 0.6 employees per resident. Valvira stated this does not meet residents’ needs and may compromise safety, as seen in the January incident.

Lapha maintains the issues stem from work organisation and documentation, not staffing levels. The county reports 11 carers on morning and evening shifts and three at night, with no plans to increase numbers. It argues the effective ratio is 0.61 when time spent on indirect tasks—such as meal, cleaning, and laundry services—is excluded.

Lapha acknowledges misunderstandings over how often bedridden residents should be assisted from their beds, along with deficiencies in recording hygiene care and recreational activities. Future plans include tracking time spent on indirect tasks and reducing care workers’ involvement where necessary.

Annukka Marjala, Lapha’s director of elderly services, noted that reduced staffing requires operational changes. “I understand staff may feel inadequate. Almost all our units now have fewer employees than before. When staffing changes, it always demands a shift in operations and letting go of old practices,” she said in a statement.