Long term care workers demand mandatory staff-to-patient ratios

Morning North6:03Asking for mandatory staff levels at long-term care homes

Health Care Workers are pushing the province to set mandatory staffing levels in long-term care homes. The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions says 91 percent of workers feel that can't provide quality care because they have too many patients.

Health care workers in long-term care homes are pushing the province to set mandatory staffing levels.

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions says 91 per cent of workers it surveyed feel they can't provide quality care because they have too many residents to care for.

The councilconducted focus groups with some of the registered practicalnurses and personal support workers it representsaround the province.

Workers reported what they considered to be dangerouslyhigh resident-to-staff ratios in long-term care homes. Some personal support workers said, at times, they are left to care for up to 42 residents, while nurses said they are sometimes responsible for between 30 and 42 residents.

"Anyone that haschildren in daycare, the [Day] Nurseries Act provides actual ratios. We are looking at the same kind of ratios," said KevinTyrrell, a regional vice-president with the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions.

"We are kind of saying we can do it for our children, why can't we apply that same thing to our seniors?"

The council is calling on the province to create a minimum staffing ratio of one personal support worker for every eight residents in a long-term care home. It is also pushing for enough staff to provideeach resident with four hours of care per day.

"I find that the community doesn't know what is actually happening behind closed doors in long-term care," said Dorothy Winterburn, a personal support worker from Minden, Ont.

"The staff are the only ones that are aware.Hopefully there is going to be change. We are going to keep knocking on government's doors."

The councilplans to present its study findings at Queen's Park in January.

Long-term care issues complex

The Ministry of Health and Long Term Careacknowledges there isno mandated staffing ratio for long term care homes.

The province saida 2008 study foundthe staffing needs in the homes to becomplexand requirea more comprehensive approach than setting staffing ratios.

Long-termcare homes must have awrittenplan that assures a mix of staff to meet the needs of residents, the ministry said.

The averagehours of direct care per resident per day in Ontario long-term care homesincreased to 3.4 in 2013, up from 3.2 in 2008, the ministry said.

The study, Long-Term Care in Ontario: Fostering Systemic Neglect, was released in Sudburyon Nov. 10: