Long-term care minister foresees 'real challenge' finding 2,000 new staff
Minister Barbara Adams saddened but not surprised to learn some homes closed admissions due to staffing
It will be "a real challenge" to deliver on the Progressive Conservatives' election promise to hire 2,000 long-term care staff in a system struggling with burnout and low morale, the minister in charge of the sector said Thursday.
Barbara Adams, who was sworn in Tuesday as minister of seniors and long-term care, said she believes raising staffing ratios will encourage people to return to the profession.
"One of the things is that the morale and the working conditions in these institutions has been very difficult," said Adams, a trained physiotherapist who worked in a long-term care home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"People have been mandated to stay after hours over and over again, they didn't get their vacations, they're working short-staffed all the time. It is very difficult to do that on a daily basis."
The Department of Health and Wellness said four long-term care facilities in the province have paused admissions as of Sept. 1 as they deal with staffing shortages.
"Several others have expressed concerns about staffing levels," a department spokesperson said in a statement. "We're working with them to assess their needs and provide supports to specific facilities on a case-by-case basis so they are able to provide safe, high-quality care."
Increasing hours of care
The Progressive Conservatives have pledged to make at least 4.1 daily hours of nursing care per resident into provincial law.
Adams said she will have a discussion with her caucus about when to bring a bill forward to make that happen.
She acknowledged the pay for continuing care assistants is low and said she recognizes long-term care is a specialty field dominated by women. She said she hopes to make the compensation "as fair as possible."
Adams said she is considering whether the labour relations contracts that govern how much long-term care workers are paid could be opened to negotiate compensation, but she has not yet been briefed on those contracts.
The PCs have signalled their intention to make deep changes to the health-care system, and Adams said moving people into long-term care when they need it is a key part of streamlining the rest of the system.
Staffing shortages not a new problem
Adams said she was "extremely sad" to hear that some homes are closing to admissions because of staffing, but added she is not surprised.
"This has been a real problem for a long time and we don't like to see it happen," she said.
"But I respect those nursing homes for making the decision to say, 'I have to keep both my residents and my staff safe, and until such time as I can do so, this is the one action I can take until things are improved.'"
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