HALIFAX: The provincial government’s announcement of more than 260 new long-term care beds and upgrades to facilities received a tepid response from opposition parties.
On July 9, the province announced it is investing $96.5 million in new long-term care beds and facilities.
As part of a multi-year plan, the province said it will replace 1,298 beds at 14 nursing homes and three residential care facilities across the province. The first project is expected to be completed by 2026-27.
The 17 facilities identified for renovation or replacement include the RK MacDonald Nursing Home in Antigonish and St. Anne Community and Nursing Care Centre in Arichat.
“These are more than bricks and mortar facilities – they are people’s homes and we respect that,” said Premier Iain Rankin.
According to the province, the initial $96.5 million capital investment includes: $64.8 million to replace, repair or renovate 17 facilities; $29.9 million to add 264 new beds in the Central Zone; $615,000 to procure bed vacancy management and infrastructure management systems; $405,000 to assess facilities that are more than 25 years old; and $792,000 to hire nine permanent full-time employees to oversee and support the projects.
“A detailed review of each facility will be required to determine whether renovations or replacement is required. This assessment will identify scope of work, project timeline and associated costs,” provincial spokesperson Kristen Lipscombe told The Reporter.
Facilities will be built, repaired or renovated according to space and design standards that put the needs of residents first, with private bedrooms and washrooms, and more focus on infection prevention and control, the province said, noting they will also include workplace safety elements like ceiling lifts to ensure staff are supported to safely provide the best quality care.
“Today’s announcement is a generational investment by government responding to lessons learned from the pandemic,” Ramsay Duff, chief executive officer, MacLeod Group Health Services.
For eight years, NDP Leader Gary Burrill said the Liberals argued that there wasn’t a need for new long-term care beds. Now, on the eve of an election, he said the Liberals have admitted that they were wrong. Because of the Liberals’ delay, seniors who need long-term care and their families will still be waiting five or more years for change, Burrill noted.
“Today’s announcement comes after years of pressure from families, seniors’ advocates, and front-line workers on long-term care improvements,” Burrill said in a statement. “An NDP government will make the investments needed without making people wait a decade to see results.”
The Liberals have already announced $209 million in cuts, but according to Burrill, have not said what they’re going to cut.
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston said the announcement doesn’t come close to addressing the serious need for investment in long-term care.
The PC Leader said this comes when more than 1,292 seniors are waiting for long term care, and with an ageing population, that number will continue to go up.
“That’s not bad luck, that’s weak leadership,” Houston said in a press release. “When seniors can’t get into long-term care, they are forced into the hospital. When they are forced into the hospital, wait times for everyone grow. When wait times grow, ambulances can’t get to patients in need of urgent care. It’s all connected, and it’s clear Iain Rankin doesn’t understand that.”
As noted by the Canadian Medical Association and a Deloitte report on seniors, investment in long-term care could potentially save $23 billion in acute care costs in this country, Houston noted, pointing to the PC Party’s “Dignity for our Seniors” plan to build 2,500 new beds and hire 2,000 new staff.
“Caring for seniors isn’t something you throw money at on the eve of an election to keep your job as Premier,” Houston said. “It’s a targeted investment. For three straight years before COVID-19, this Liberal government ignored a proposal from Northwood to build more single rooms. We saw the disastrous results. This is a government that budgeted less for feeding seniors than they did to feed prisoners.”
Instead of putting money into frontline workers like the PC plan, Iain Rankin put almost a million dollars into office jobs in Halifax, Houston stated.
Today’s announcement is not a real plan for long-term care. This is not a plan for seniors. This is not a plan for the future,” he added. “This is a cynical political move for Iain Rankin to try to get elected, and it doesn’t scratch the surface of what’s needed to fix our long-term care system.”