Manitoba care homes try to recruit staff, meet requirement for increased daily hours of care

Long-term care homes in the province are working to use a share of $16 million announced by the Manitoba government in June to hire new staff, which will increase daily hours of care for residents.

The money will help care homes move from the current standard of 3.6 hours of paid care per resident per day to 3.7 hours, according to the Manitoba Association of Residential and Community Care Homes for the Elderly, which represents non-profit care homes across the province.

"It's easier said than done," said Julie Turenne-Maynard, the organization's executive director.  "With the increase from 3.6 to 3.7 hours of care, they weren't doing it because they didn't have the funding. Personal care homes are very strapped financially."

Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Scott Johnston previously said Manitoba is increasing the standard from 3.6 to 3.8 hours of direct care per resident per day. 

A provincial spokesperson told CBC in early October funding was made available to regional health authorities on Sep. 30, 2022, for all direct care staffing, including health-care aides, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses.

The province said at the time RHAs were developing plans and strategies to reach 3.7 hours of care as a first step, with the goal of moving to 3.8.

A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said in an email this week that funding letters have been rolled out to personal care homes.

"The funding letters to PCHs stated that the hiring process could commence immediately," the WRHA said in an email. "Once PCHs notify WRHA that hiring has taken place, the funding is provided for those positions."

Laurie Cerqueti, CEO of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre, said in an email the care home has received the letter confirming they can hire into new positions to increase staffing levels.

Funding has also been made available to care homes outside the city. 

Proposed standards for care homes in Canada released in January note evidence strongly supports an average of 4.1 hours.

"We've met with minister Johnston on a few occasions," Turenne-Maynard said. "What we're wanting to do with his department is compare what Manitoba's health-care standards are with the federal standards and see if we can marry them in order to avoid duplication and to ensure that standard is consistent throughout."

But Turenne-Maynard said the challenge of meeting that standard goes beyond money.

"We're short nurses, we're short health-care aides," she said. "We're short everywhere in the long-term care system."