Manitoba care homes try to recruit staff, meet requirement for increased daily hours of care
Manitoba wants the standard increased from 3.6 to 3.8 hours of daily care
Long-term care homes in the province are working to use a share of $16 million announced by the Manitoba government in June to hire new staff, which will increase daily hours of care for residents.
The money will help care homes move from the current standard of 3.6 hours of paid care per resident per day to 3.7 hours, according to the Manitoba Association of Residential and Community Care Homes for the Elderly, which represents non-profit care homes across the province.
"It's easier said than done," said Julie Turenne-Maynard, the organization's executive director. "With the increase from 3.6 to 3.7 hours of care, they weren't doing it because they didn't have the funding. Personal care homes are very strapped financially."
Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Scott Johnston previously said Manitoba is increasing the standard from 3.6 to 3.8 hours of direct care per resident per day.
A provincial spokesperson told CBC in early October funding was made available to regional health authorities on Sep. 30, 2022, for all direct care staffing, including health-care aides, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses.
The province said at the time RHAs were developing plans and strategies to reach 3.7 hours of care as a first step, with the goal of moving to 3.8.
A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said in an email this week that funding letters have been rolled out to personal care homes.
"The funding letters to PCHs stated that the hiring process could commence immediately," the WRHA said in an email. "Once PCHs notify WRHA that hiring has taken place, the funding is provided for those positions."
Laurie Cerqueti, CEO of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre, said in an email the care home has received the letter confirming they can hire into new positions to increase staffing levels.
Funding has also been made available to care homes outside the city.
National standards recommend 4.1 hours
Proposed standards for care homes in Canada released in January note evidence strongly supports an average of 4.1 hours.
"We've met with minister Johnston on a few occasions," Turenne-Maynard said. "What we're wanting to do with his department is compare what Manitoba's health-care standards are with the federal standards and see if we can marry them in order to avoid duplication and to ensure that standard is consistent throughout."
But Turenne-Maynard said the challenge of meeting that standard goes beyond money.
"We're short nurses, we're short health-care aides," she said. "We're short everywhere in the long-term care system."
Sue Vovchuk, executive director of the Long Term And Continuing Care Association of Manitoba, said in an email it'll be mandatory for homes to meet the 3.7 hours of resident care per day.
The province hasn't specified exactly when the requirement will take effect.
Vovchuk agrees recruitment will be an issue, but feels the Manitoba government's $200 million health human resource action plan — including a delegation to the Philippines to recruit internationally-trained nurses — will help.
Funding aimed at improving care after Maples outbreak
The funding announced by the province is aimed at fulfilling recommendations in the Stevenson Review. It was commissioned after 56 residents died in a months-long outbreak at Maples Long Term Care Home which is privately-operated by Revera Ince., an Ontario-based company.
The care home came under scrutiny again this week after Dee-Dee Andrews captured video of her father on Feb.21 lying in a urine-soaked bed in his room at the Maples care home. Revera said it's working with the family and that it isn't a site-wide issue.
Changes don't go far enough, advocate says
Eddie Calisto-Tavares, a seniors advocate who is part of the group Families Voices, has been lobbying for increased care hours. She said the change in Manitoba doesn't go far enough.
"They need so much more intense care because it takes that time and that is not being addressed," she said.
"So we need to move it way up. In my original letter to the province back in early 2020 it was 4.2 and 4.3. So we are nowhere near where we need to be."
She said there also needs to be more accountability in the system to make sure care homes are following through on the changes.
"We're happy with the standards, national standards but we also know there's no direct accountability," Calisto-Tavares said. "We want to see where the money is going to go."
The WRHA said quarterly reporting regarding implementation of the new funding is required from each personal care home in Winnipeg. The information is then submitted to Manitoba Health and Manitoba Seniors and Long-Term Care.
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