Released on October 1, 2013
Province Creates $10 Million Urgent Issues Action Fund
Today, 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.
“We are committed to making improvements that address these issues and improve quality of care and quality of life for seniors,” Duncan said. “That is why our response today includes designating $10 million to address urgent issues identified by these reports, but also why I view this as only an initial step in transforming our long-term care system.”
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.
- Additional Lean work in select facilities aimed at identifying efficiencies that maximize staff time spent on direct resident care.
“We are taking the concerns expressed very seriously, and challenging the health system to do better,” Duncan said. “It is clear to me that we need a path forward that ensures we are using our resources more effectively to improve quality of care for our seniors.”
To support better feedback about challenges in the system, greater transparency about how money is being spent, and accountability for senior leadership of the health system, Minister Duncan directed several additional actions be taken, including:
- Establishing Resident and Family Councils at all long-term care facilities (94 per cent complete).
- Creating a quality of care survey for Resident and Family Council members to be provided directly to the Minister annually.
- Annual CEO visits to their respective long-term care facilities to provide updates to the Minister on improvements.
- Requiring 60 day, 90 day and 120 day reports directly to Minister on the outcomes achieved in facilities that receive money through the Urgent Issue Action Fund.
- A stakeholder engagement session later this fall, drawing together health system leaders, long-term care providers, families and other stakeholders from across Saskatchewan, to focus on quality and appropriate models of care in long-term care settings.
These actions are over and above the ongoing monitoring the ministry does to ensure all regions are meeting direct care standards, such as ensuring key quality care indicators are being achieved, in areas such as medication use, care for pressure ulcers, pain management, restraint use and incontinence.
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For more information, contact:
Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 307-787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-537-3594