Provincial officials insist they are taking the ongoing shortage of PSW positions across Ontario very seriously.
The Ontario Health Coalition has been raising the alarm about the crisis in long-term care, and is calling on the government to mandate a minimum of four hours of hands-on care per patient, per day.
Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long Term Care, says the government is pumping millions into the field.
“We have invested $4-million in the Personal Support Worker Education Fund to deliver more training, and an additional $19.4-million to maintain direct care staffing levels,” Fullerton says. “On top of all of that, the biggest number is $1.75 billion that we’ve committed to the long term care sector to build those new bricks and mortar physical capacity spaces.”
Fullerton says caregivers, professional or otherwise, deserve respect, and the government is working on a staffing strategy to address the shortage.
“It’s very important that we heard from our long-term care sector,” Fullerton says. “This is a critical issue, we acknowledge that, and the complexity of patients is increasing.”
The government’s staffing strategy is expected to be released some time later this year.
