(OTTAWA) Provincial standards for long-term care vary widely across Canada and in some cases are well below new national standards proposed earlier this year, finds the National Institute on aging, in a report tabled on Wednesday.
The Health Standards Organization recently developed a series of guidelines to improve quality of life and prevent the spread of infections. The COVID-19 pandemic had just dramatically shed light on the conditions in some long-term care homes and long-term care centers (CHSLDs) across the country.
The provinces then asked the National Institute on Aging at Metropolitan University of Toronto to determine whether or not they were already meeting the proposed new national standards.
The institute’s report found that as of last December, only 25 of the 117 criteria set out in the national standards were reflected in current policies in all provinces and territories.
In fact, no province or territory would have met everything recommended by the national standards book, “which reminds us that there is a lot to be done,” said Dr. Samir Sinha, co-author of the report and director of health policy research at the National Institute on Aging.
Most provinces have policies that align with standards regarding resident rights and responsibilities, as well as assessment and care plans. They were less aligned on the need to collect workforce data or stipulate policies to improve the quality of services and care, the report said.
The institute also found a lack of oversight in most provinces and territories with respect to a trauma-informed care approach, workplace wellness programs, management of the physical environment of the facility, and labor experience surveys.
“What worried me the most is that when you see that there are so many criteria that have barely been approved […] the question then becomes: in which mechanism is there a real application and an assurance that these factors will be taken into account? “, according to Dr. Sinha.
Areas of skills
Long-term care falls under provincial jurisdiction. But as part of the “support and trust agreement” with the New Democrats, the Liberal government has pledged to pass federal legislation to ensure safety in all long-term care homes across the country.
The federal government has yet to announce how it intends to do so, and the deal with the New Democrats, which expires in 2025, does not specify when the Liberals should introduce the bill. The Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, however indicated that a bill could be presented before the end of this year.
Meanwhile, some provinces have already started to adjust their standards and policies, Dr Sinha said. “There could be more progress on the way, as provinces have since decided that they will further improve their criteria and standards to be more in line with national standards,” he admitted.
Dr Sinha stresses that the report is not intended to stigmatize certain provinces that have fallen behind national standards. Rather, it aims to give them an overview of how they compare and how they can seek out examples of best practices elsewhere in the country.
“Instead of having to start from scratch, they can simply replicate best practices from other provincial or territorial partners. That was the goal. »
The federal government set aside $3 billion in Budget 2021 to help provinces improve living conditions in long-term care homes. Ottawa has also pledged $1.7 billion over five years to increase the salaries of patient care workers in long-term care homes and home care, as part of federal health transfers, which have just been renegotiated with the provinces.