Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is talking to the provinces and territories about new standards for quality, design and operation long term care Home in Canada.
The Health Standards Organization issued updated standards on Tuesday that say residents must receive at least four hours of direct care each day.
The standards panel of experts from the nonprofit Standards Organization also says those working in those accommodations should be paid more.
“We recognize the responsibility and jurisdiction of the provinces in these areas, but I think all Canadians, regardless of government mandate, want seniors to have the best quality care possible and we will continue to work towards that. ” Trudeau said as he headed into the cabinet meeting.
Experts from the non-profit organization said the new standards would be useful only if the government puts them into practice and ensures they are followed.
“These standards are only useful when they form the basis of enforcement and accountability measures, not just accreditation measures,” said Dr. Sameer Sinha, chair of the technical committee that developed the updated standards.
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The organization issued updated guidance for operating care homes in light of the deadly and tragic toll the COVID-19 pandemic is taking on Canadian residents and their quality of life.
The authors say that the ball is now in the government’s court.
“Standards themselves can become the basis of law, they can become the basis of policy and other measures of accountability,” Sinha said.
Long-term care as a health service falls under provincial jurisdiction, and there is a patchwork of regulations across the country that govern how homes must be designed, operated and maintained.
Usually it’s up to provincial governments to mandate standards, but in the 2021 election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legislate safety in long-term care across the country.
The Liberals doubled down on that promise as a condition of their confidence-and-supply deal with the New Democrats, which would see the opposition party support a minority government with key votes in the House of Commons to prevent elections until 2025. Will see what happened.
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Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the government plans to start consultations on that legislation in the “coming months”, but has not said what that legislation would be.
“The development of those standards complements our collaborative work with provinces and territories to help improve long-term care,” Duclos said in a statement.
Some provinces already require long-term care homes to be accredited according to the organization’s standards, while other homes seek accreditation voluntarily.
The Health Standards Organization expects around 68 per cent of long-term care homes to be accredited on a voluntary or mandatory basis using the updated standards.
But Sinha said that without enforcement, recognition would not be enough.
“Because long-term care falls under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, any legislation will be designed in a way that reflects jurisdictional responsibilities,” Health Canada spokeswoman Tammy Jarbeau said in a statement.
The government set aside $3 billion in the 2021 budget to help provinces and territories implement long-term care standards, raise wages and improve staff to patient ratios.
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However, implementing the standards would require a lot of money. In 2021 the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated that expanding the number of daily care hours to the four hours listed by the Health Standards Organization would cost an additional $4.3 billion per year.
Long-term care home staff are also not paid the same as other health workers.
“If you were working in a long-term care home, you would probably be working as a personal support worker, as a nurse, as an occupational therapist, as a social worker working in a publicly funded hospital. You are doing much less as a worker,” Sinha said.
The labor shortage was a key factor in the devastating situation that unfolded during the early days of the pandemic as staff struggled to provide adequate care, and Sinha said the problem persists today as care homes are overwhelmed by COVID-19. And facing a flu outbreak.
New guidelines were developed for the design of long-term care homes and practices to prevent infection in conjunction with updated care standards. They were released last month by the CSA Group, formerly known as the Canadian Standards Association.
The CSA Group’s standards cover everything from the number of occupants to the materials used for building construction.
The CSA group’s standards are strictly voluntary at this point, but the experts who developed those building standards expect them to be quickly adopted into regulations.
“Timing is of the essence as there are plans to build new long-term care homes across the country, in different provinces and territories,” said Alex Mihailidis, who chairs the CSA group committee.
“Our hope is that they will be looking at our standard before the shovels are in the ground.”
Mihalidis believes the cracks could have been reduced if the standards were in place when COVID-19 arrived in 2020, but until new guidelines are put in place and enforced, he said it remains to be seen. It’s a matter of waiting.
“It’s definitely a big step in the right direction,” he said.
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