No consultation: B.C. plan to expel seniors from hospitals may not be 'attainable,' care providers say
The Ministry of Health did not consult with the very care home operators it expects to take in seniors being expelled from hospitals in preparation of a surge in serious illnesses anticipated from COVID-19 and influenza, CTV News has learned.
The president of the BC Care Providers Association said even though it had a regular meeting with the ministry in the morning, the group learned of the plan to transfer 500 hospital patients to long-term care when the minister announced it publicly Wednesday afternoon. The affected patients are ones who would be better served in long-term care than in hospital, according to officials, who proposed the transfer as part of a plan to respond to an worst-case scenario of serious respiratory illnesses.
“It would've been nice to have had some consultation on this so we could understand how we can achieve this goal,” said Terry Lake. “I'm not sure if it's attainable, we just don't have the people.”
He emphasized that while there are plenty of empty beds, the staff required to care for the person in the bed is the key problem and will take time to address.
On Thursday, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control provided a weekly update that saw hospitalizations attributed to COVID-19 rise steeply for the first time since July, suggesting the latest wave of infections, and demand on the health-care system, is already here.
Lake wants to know if patients assigned to care homes far from their communities and families will be forced to leave, as they are in Ontario under penalty of a $400 per day fine.
“We don’t know because we haven't been brought into these discussions," Lake said.
NURSES UNION ALSO SURPRISED
The exodus of trained professionals from the health-care field has been a growing issue for more than a year, with nursing staff being the biggest shortfall.
The BC Nurses’ Union says it was surprised to hear about government decanting some 1,300 patients into their own homes or assisted living, in addition to the 500 requiring more comprehensive care in long-term care facilities.
"We would like to hear what their plan is around that because we don't know," said BCNU president Aman Grewal, who pointed out whether it’s in a care home or their own residence, patients may have to wait for necessary support, wound care or other medical treatments.
“If there isn't enough capacity to intake them, then either other patients are going to be deferred or it's going to take a lot longer going into the system and it's going to have an impact on their families.”
A Vancouver Island woman spoke out this week about her experience with her elderly blind and paraplegic mother who’s terminally ill from cancer and whose caregivers have missed several shifts. On two occasions, her family was not notified that no one showed up at all, and she was left alone and in considerable pain.
THE MINISTER RESPONDS
When asked why he hadn’t consulted with stakeholders, which has been a recurring complaint across the health-care sector, the minister replied that they found out yesterday and raised the example of a single care home in Burnaby that had been refurbished and “has new spaces”; he did not specify how many.
“We're working and will be working with care providers and with people to ensure that our care homes that currently have fewer than the capacity of people in them or residents, will be able to work to that capacity and can, in fact, decant,” said Adrian Dix, though he did not say where the staff would come from in such a short amount of time.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the double-whammy of COVID-19 and influenza patients could hit B.C. hospitals as early as November, which means there are only four weeks to figure that out.
Lake pointed out not only are food costs up 11 per cent year over year for care home operators, but they’re increasingly relying on agency nurses to fill critical staffing shortages, which cost double what unionized public sector nurses cost, meaning operating budgets aren’t going as far as they did even a year ago.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israel attacks Iran, Reuters sources say; drones reported over Isfahan
Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Iranian state media reported early on Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.