Health Minister Dustin Duncan released the feedback he received from each health region CEO on the conditions in every long-term care facility in the province. The findings in these reports are based on facility-by-facility tours by the senior leadership in each respective health region. These visits were directed by the Minister last spring.
"I want to thank the CEOs and their staff for their work," Duncan said. "The results of this review vary greatly across the province, but overall it shows that we need to do better for seniors in need of our care, especially for the vulnerable seniors in our long-term care facilities."
The facility tours this spring identified both positives and negatives. CEOs noted the constructive impact of Resident and Family Councils, the dedication of staff, the beneficial impact of resident-centred recreation programs, and the positive role played by volunteers. Some of the challenges identified by CEOs included food (quality, variety and meal times), care issues (complexity, behaviour management, delays in provision of care), safety (resident needs, staff training), resident mix (placing young with older, frail residents), and aging infrastructure.
Highlights of today's response include:
$10 million Urgent Issues Action Fund to address priority issues identified by health regions (e.g., purchasing required equipment, more baths, improved nutrition, improved responsiveness to call bells, training to deal with residents with dementia, etc).
$2.5 million to expand the Home First/Quick Response pilot program from Regina Qu'Appelle to both Saskatoon and Prince Albert Parkland Health Regions, totalling a $4.5 million investment between the three regions.
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