TORONTO – The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care issued the following statement in response to CUPE and the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions allegations of substandard care at long term care homes in their report “Long-Term Care in Ontario: Fostering Systemic Neglect.” The unions released the report in Cornwall yesterday (Tuesday):
The Ontario government is committed to ensuring that Ontarians receive quality care while they are in long-term care homes. We continue to invest in more staff to provide the right amount of care to residents. Since 2008, we have funded the creation of 2,500 personal support workers and more than 900 nursing positions. We also support the training of LTC home staff to improve resident safety, quality of care and abuse prevention.
Current legislation (the Long-Term Care Homes Act) safeguards resident rights and improves the accountability of LTC homes for the care, treatment and well-being of residents. Each LTC home must have a written staffing plan for nursing services and personal support services. This staffing plan must ensure a staffing mix that is consistent with residents’ assessed care and safety needs.
We’re also investing in home care to provide Ontarians the supports they need when they need them in their community. This means that Ontarians are now able to live in dignity, in their own homes, instead of having to be placed in institutional care. It’s why this past year we increased funding to home care and community services by $260 million in 2013, and 99% since 2003.
Our budget lays out a plan on how we are going to continue to expand home and community care in Ontario. Our plan is to increase funding for home and community care by $270 million this year and by over $750 million by 2017.
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