Palliative care homes | Quebec increases funding by 10 million

Quebec is increasing the annual funding envelope for palliative care homes by $10 million, which represents an increase of $30,000 per bed per year. “It’s huge,” slice the Alliance of palliative care homes of Quebec (AMSPQ).

Fanny Levesque
The Press

“For us, it’s day and night to be able to attract and retain our workforce,” launches the president of the Alliance, Marie-Julie Tschiember. Three-quarters of the AMSPQ’s 37 palliative care homes say they lack the nursing staff to carry out their mission. “This increase, for the majority of members, will be directly applied to our payroll,” she adds.

Quebec will announce on Tuesday that it is increasing funding for palliative care homes by $10 million, which was agreed to $30 million. A total of 40 million will therefore be provided for in the renewal of the financing agreements for 1^er April 2022 to March 31, 2025. This is the culmination of 18 months of negotiations with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), underlines the AMSPQ.

The last two years of the pandemic have been particularly difficult for palliative care homes, which have little leeway to hire nursing staff and compete with the public sector, which has rolled out a series of measures to recruit workers. work. For some establishments, even “monthly survival is like a sword of Damocles”, illustrates the president.

The 37 AMSPQ houses employ some 1,400 health care workers.

“It stabilizes things, we can finally focus on the future and on how to better care for and support our patients, their families and do more for our communities,” rejoices Ms.^me Tschember.

Funding per increased bed

Quebec funding is granted based on the number of beds per house. The addition of 10 million in the envelope is the equivalent of an increase of $30,000 per bed per year, explains Ms.^me Tschember. With this increase, the contribution of the MSSS will continue to cover approximately half of the operating costs, the other part being financed by activities in the communities.

Quebec’s aid mainly comes to catch up with the rise in costs of recent years. In 2019, a hospice bed cost around $165,000 per year. We are now talking about $200,000 annually, estimates M^me Tschember.

These places in a home – a total of 341 beds – are equivalent to a third of the number of beds reserved for palliative care in the entire health and social services network.

“We believe it is the government’s responsibility to pay for direct patient care. […] This is what will happen with this envelope, adds the president. What it costs more, that is to say to wash, feed, house and support patients and their families, we will find it in the generosity of our communities. We want to continue to have that contact with our communities. »

Of the 37 institutions that make up the Alliance of Palliative Care Homes of Quebec, 2 homes offer pediatric palliative care. The opening of 4 other palliative care homes is planned by 2023, for an addition of 32 places in the network.