An open letter to provincial and federal politicians:
Canadians have always had issues and concerns with long-term care, but COVID-19 has shone a light on the inadequacies and the lack of federal oversight on systems governed solely under provincial jurisdictions. To improve the provision of LTC, I join with other concerned citizens in urging all levels of government to work together to:
Place LTC under the Canada Health Act to ensure consistency in resources and services;
Develop national standards of LTC quality-of-care that are supported by adequate and designated federal funding;
Mandate four hours per day of direct nursing and personal care per resident;
Require that LTC staff work in only one LTC home to improve infection control;
Mandate LTC staff to receive salaries and benefits commensurate with health workers in general hospitals;
Ensure that LTC homes recruit and train adequate numbers of staff, improve pay and working conditions and provide access to full-time work;
Require that LTC homes provide ongoing education for staff in best practices of infection control and management of residents with dementia; and ensure comprehensive, annual and unscheduled inspections.
Implementing these standards will bring much needed improvement in the provision of LTC across Canada and in our own province, British Columbia.
COVID-19 has given us all an opportunity to improve and renew TLC systems of care.
I look forward to seeing British Columbia and Canada take a leadership role.
Deirdre Whalen
RICHMOND
