Ottawa, ON – January 27, 2022 – The release of the new draft national standards for long-term care by the Health Standards Organization is a significant milestone that has highlighted the importance that Canadians place on a strong long-term care system.
Many long-term care homes in Canada have alignment on several aspects of these standards. However, creating transformational system change will be a monumental task that will require deep engagement by all levels of government working with the long-term care sector itself.
Canadian Association for Long-Term Care CEO Jodi Hall said there are many questions in how to ensure provinces and territories adopt the standards and make the investment to ensure long term care homes can implement the standards successfully.
“The aspirational vision for long-term care presented by the HSO is one we can all support,” Ms. Hall said. “But to make this a reality, we need all levels of government to work together to a provide a long-term, predictable and sustainable funding system for long-term care.
“To deliver on this vision, we need a national strategy for our health workforce that has everyone working together to train and recruit the staff we need. There are many considerations in this that will require a ‘Team Canada’ approach to move forward. We hope these standards can serve as a starting point for that national discussion.
“Providing quality long-term care is a shared responsibility and CALTC is ready to work with all stakeholders for meaningful change in long term care.
“We need the federal government and provincial and territorial governments to work together to address the challenges and support homes across the country to be set up for success.”
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