The Saskatchewan NDP, is calling for the province to request an independent investigation by the Provincial Ombudsman, into Saskatchewan’s Long-Term Care system.
NDP Seniors Critic, Danielle Chartier, says nothing has changed since a 2016 Ombudsman investigation into long-term care, that found the system to be under strain.
Chartier added she has spoken with people running care facilities and was told financing is part of the issue. She says making sure facilities have the resources needed, to provide resources to their residents, is a real issue and according to the previous Ombudsman’s report, these are issues that are happening in long-term care homes across the province, in all the various types and arrangements that we have.
NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat pointed to a review of the CEO Tour Report released by SEIU-West this week, in which interviews with front-line health differ from what is captured in the CEO Tour report. Mowat says there is significant under-staffing challenges that haven’t been raised in the reports, along with significant quality of care issues and she says SEIU-West have also called for an independent investigation.
In a letter to the Premier SEIU-West President Barb Cape said workers on the front-lines are deeply troubled and outraged by the government’s recent efforts to reassure Saskatchewan people that there are no systemic staffing or care-quality issues in the province’s LTC sector.
The NDP also called on the province Thursday for a major investment in home care and for action to address ongoing issues in residential long-term care.
(CJWW)