Panel to review performance of long-term care homes during COVID-19 pandemic

An external panel of experts and community leaders has been tasked with studying the performance of Prince Edward Island's public and private long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Items to be considered by P.E.I.'s long-term care COVID-19 panel, according to a news release, include:

• Impact on staff, residents, essential caregivers and leadership.
• Infection prevention and control and outbreak characteristics.
• Health human resources (retention, additional resources, training).
• Infrastructure, including renovations and outbreak readiness and site-level characteristics.

The panel will engage with diverse stakeholders including residents, families and caregivers, long-term care staff, health professionals, unions and geriatricians from across the province to gain a deeper understanding of the widespread impacts of COVID-19 on the long-term care sector.

Why it's important to study the performance of long-term care homes during COVID-19

2 years ago

Duration 6:05

Panel chair Michele Dorsey speaks with CBC News: Compass host about its goals and objectives.

The release said it is expected that the panel will identify best practices, review the current state of long-term care against the proposed national standards, and deliver recommendations and solutions to ensure the system can meet these standards.

An internal long-term care review  conducted during the pandemic revealed aspects of the long-term care sector (public and private homes) which require additional planning, policy, program and service reforms in order to respond to emerging challenges and reduce inequities. These issues include:

• Health human resources.
• Infection prevention and control activities.
• Access to personal protective equipment.
• Adverse event reporting.
• Quality assessment.
• Resident health outcomes.

Long-term care COVID-19 panel members include Michele Dorsey, a certified mediator and a retired lawyer,  Cynthia Bryanton, a registered nurse, Blair Corkum, a chartered professional accountant, Janice Keefe, a professor and director of the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University, and Carole Estabrooks of the University of Alberta.