As part of its plan to fix long-term care, the Ontario government will provide up to $673 million this year to long-term care homes across the province to increase staffing levels, leading to more direct care for residents.
This includes $6,357,888 for local long-term care homes. These funds will increase care for residents at Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, Chartwell Woodhaven and Markhaven in Markham, as well as for Parkview Home and Bloomington Cove Care Community in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
“This funding will allow homes in our community to hire and retain more staff so they can provide more care to residents, every day,” said Paul Calandra, MPP for Markham-Stouffville and Minister of Long-Term Care.
“This is part of our government’s plan to hire thousands of new staff over the next four years to ensure those living in long-term care get the high-quality care they need and deserve.”
Prior to the government’s investments to increase direct care, residents were receiving an average of only two hours and 45 minutes of direct care from registered nurses, registered practical nurses and personal support workers. Direct care is hands-on care that includes personal care, such as help with eating, bathing and dressing, as well as other important tasks such as helping residents move and providing medication.
This next funding increase will now increase the daily provincial average to three hours and 15 minutes, per resident per day by the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year.
The government is investing $4.9 billion over four years to increase direct resident care to an average of four hours daily by hiring more than 27,000 staff. Hiring thousands of new staff at long-term care homes and increasing the amount of care they deliver each year will be made possible by annual funding increases to homes.
Ontario’s path to providing four hours of direct care per day by 2024-25 will be enshrined into law through the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 which received Royal Assent on December 9, 2021. The legislation is key to the government’s Long-Term Care Staffing Plan to educate, train and help recruit tens of thousands of new health care staff through partnerships with labour partners, long-term care homes, and education and training providers, so that homes can provide an average of four hours of direct care per day to residents.
The government has a plan to fix long-term care and to ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve both now and in the future. The plan is built on three pillars: staffing and care; accountability, enforcement, and transparency; and building modern, safe, comfortable homes for seniors.
