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On January 12th, NSNU president Janet Hazelton was called upon to speak before the Standing Committee on Health about Nova Scotia’s long-term care homes. Drawing on research and data from our Broken Homes report of 2016 and our more recent update, Staffing Standards for Nova Scotia Nursing Homes, which was released in June of 2020, Janet pressed government on hours-of-care, NPs in LTC and other matters that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak last year.
Our Broken Homes report called for significant changes to long-term care staffing, bumping up daily care hours from 3.4 to 4.1 per resident to adapt to growing need for acute care. Staffing levels at long-term care homes are set by the provincial Special Care Act, unchanged since 1977.
The acuity of residents living in long-term care has steadily increased over the years, yet there has been no corresponding increase to staffing levels to support this. Many people prefer to stay in their home for as long as possible, meaning they require a vastly higher level of care once admitted to an LTC facility.
While acknowledging the work that government and employers have done since 53 Northwood residents tragically passed away from the virus, Janet stated that serious problems in our LTC system were evident long before COVID-19 took hold. She went on to say that as Nova Scotians, we have an obligation to step up and do right by our seniors.
Last September, the Nova Scotia Health Authority presented a revised long-term care plan for the second wave of COVID-19. Part of the plan required rooms with more than two residents to be eliminated. Deputy health minister Kevin Orrell indicated that 42% of Nova Scotia’s long-term care rooms are double occupancy, while 58% are single rooms. Triple and quadruple rooms will no longer be permitted.
As the union representative for Northwood’s registered nurses, NSNU welcomed the opportunity to provide feedback last summer to the Northwood Quality-improvement Review Committee to ensure the nursing perspective was included in the report’s recommendations. Many of the goals of the Nurses’ Union align with the proposed recommendations outlined in the report, especially the recommended funding of a standard minimum number of care hours.
Before being questioned by the various political party members on the panel, Janet closed by saying Nova Scotia’s LTC sector needs new and increased funding that is specifically dedicated to the improvement of staffing standards. Such funding should be evidence-based and mandated by legislation in the form of an updated Homes for Special Care Act. Nova Scotia has an ageing population, so investing in long-term care is vital to helping residents now and planning for the sector’s future.
Some of the other witnesses in the virtual meeting included:
- Dr. Kevin Orrell, deputy minister, Department of Health and Wellness
- Vicki Elliott-Lopez, senior director of continuing care, Department of Health and Wellness
- Susan Stevens, senior director of continuing care, Nova Scotia Health
- Jason MacLean, president, Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU)
- Michele Lowe, managing director, Nursing Homes of Nova Scotia Association
- Govind Rao, Atlantic region research representative, CUPE
- Linda MacNeil, Atlantic regional director, Unifor
