Home-care agencies unhappy with tendering process, report shows
Groups complained about lack of transparency, narrow deadlines
A confidential report into how Alberta Health Services awarded new home-care contracts reveals competing agencies expressed a wide range of complaints over the process.
The AHS report shows agencies complained about a lack of transparency, deadlines that were too tight, and made allegations that some companies directly approached the premier.
In early June, homecare delivery in Alberta underwent major changes, as small non-profit agencies were replaced by larger companies.
Alberta Health Services signed new contracts with 13 homecare providers in June — shutting out many well-established groups.
After a public outcry, the province renewed many of the contracts.
The heavily redacted report concludes the process was fair and transparent, although Friends of Medicare points out the report made no mention of how the changes will save $18.5 million.
"Because they're private companies — for-profit, private companies — they don't have to share that, although they're getting subsidized by public health dollars," said executive director Sandra Azocar.
Azocar also said the 94-page report does not mention anything about transition plans or staffing levels.
"The trained specialized staffing was not in place for this transition to take place and that's having a serious impact on the quality of care that people are receiving," she said.
With files from CBC's Kim Trynacity