{"id":12586,"date":"2020-05-26T14:33:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-26T18:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/?p=12586"},"modified":"2020-11-04T15:13:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T20:13:01","slug":"release-military-report-on-conditions-in-ontarios-long-term-care-homes-beyond-frustrated-health-coalition-calls-on-ford-government-to-implement-repeated-recommendations-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/release-military-report-on-conditions-in-ontarios-long-term-care-homes-beyond-frustrated-health-coalition-calls-on-ford-government-to-implement-repeated-recommendations-to\/","title":{"rendered":"RELEASE:<\/FONT> Military Report on Conditions in Ontario\u2019s Long-Term Care Homes: \u201cBeyond Frustrated\u201d Health Coalition Calls on Ford Government to Implement Repeated Recommendations to Improve Access to PPE, Workplace Safety and Infection Control"},"content":{"rendered":"

(May 26, 2020)<\/p>\n

Toronto \u2013 The Ontario Health Coalition, which has released major reports annually on the state of long-term care in Ontario in recent years, expressed its frustration upon reading the description of infection control practices at the facilities to which military personnel were dispatched. The Coalition has called on the Ford government repeatedly to improve access to PPE, take concrete measures to address critical staffing shortages, improve infection control and training and workplace safety, take concrete measures to isolate residents who test positive, intervene in homes that have incompetent or negligent management, and show coherent coordinated leadership in this sector rather than leaving it to voluntary arrangements between provider companies. See repeated press releases over the last two months here: https:\/\/www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca\/index.php\/resources-analysiscovid-19-resources-analysis-of-the-ford-governments-response\/<\/a><\/span> (scroll to media releases). The Coalition is not alone. Advocates from the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly and other seniors\u2019 organizations, unions and health professionals have all been speaking with one voice in calling for these measures, yet improvements have been late, inadequate, or nonexistent, and there still is no coherent strategy, coalition spokesperson Natalie Mehra reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are beyond frustrated,\u201d she said. \u201cThousands of staff and residents alike have been infected with COVID-19, almost 1,500 residents and staff have died, yet we are still waiting for a coherent coordinated plan from Ontario\u2019s government to intervene actively in long-term care homes with outbreaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAside from individual staff transgressions, which require proper management of staff and proper training, there are clear systemic issues here. We have repeatedly raised the issue of staff being required to wear the same PPE from resident to resident or patient to patient until it is \u201cvisibly soiled\u201d. This would have been completely unacceptable prior to COVID-19 and yet it is routinely the case in homes and hospitals that say that they are complying with Public Health Ontario\u2019s directives and guidelines,\u201d she noted. \u201cShortages of PPE and incompetent and negligent management are compounded by the leadership failure in our provincial government which should have applied the precautionary principle and taken much more active measures to improve the standard of infection control, workplace safety and access to PPE.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLong-term care homes were in a crisis of understaffing prior to COVID-19 and the situation has been worsened as staff have left, are off work in isolation, and as many have had to choose one home out of several at which they worked part-time,\u201d she reported. \u201cStories of inadequate care levels are frequent, particularly in homes with outbreaks, but also in others. This was the case across the board prior to COVID-19, now the inadequacy of staffing and care is beyond description.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Coalition reiterates its call of recent weeks for immediate measures to stabilize the workforce and improve safety as follows:<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom our provincial government we need a coherent plan including concrete measures to improve PPE supply and infection control, to stabilize the workforce, and leadership and coordination to stem the tide of infections that is sweeping through our health care facilities,\u201d reiterated Ms. Mehra from the Coalition\u2019s call last week insisting that the following not to be delayed by a commission into long-term care:<\/p>\n