Ontario government made the announcement reiterating a commitment made a year ago to provide a fund up to 225 additional Nurse Practitioners to work in provincial long term care homes. It is a start which take three years to implement and is far too few to meet the needs of Ontario’s 627 long-term care homes, says Cathryn Hoy, Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) President, RN.
Hoy says that Ontario Nurse’s Association has urged government long period of the time to fund more full time Nurse Practitioners (NPs) for long term care, providing more funds to NPs is to bring their exceptional skills, education and knowledge and enable them to provide care to netizens who are medically complex.
While this is a beginning, the timelines can and should be accelerated to benefit residents.
There should be at least one NP who is an employee of the home for every 120 residents, stated by Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission which was recommended by ONA’s to this commission.
Hoy also adds that this government’s stated commitment to providing the right care in the right setting for patients is at odds with Bill7, the government legislation to transfer alternate-level-of-care patients out of hospitals and into long term care homes.
Hoy also added that ONA strongly opposes Bill 7.
There are many better solutions to solve the health care crisis than coercing patients into a long-term care home that may be far from their community and support networks.
Every solution begins with a systematic and comprehensive plan to solve the serious nursing shortage, not more stop-gap measures. Without nurses, I think healthcare sector unable to function properly.
Recent polling from Angus Reid represents that 53% of those polled (1002 respondents) consider moving patients out of acute care into long term care to be violation of patients’ right.
ONA is the union representing more than 68000 nurses and health care professionals, as well as 18000 nursing student affiliates, providing quality care to the patients in hospitals, long term care facilities, public health, the community, industry and clinics.
ONA vision
ONA vision is empowered members taking collective actions for safe and equitable workplaces and high-quality health care for all Ontarians.