Health minister says recruiting underway as long-term care standards updated

After national standards for long-term care were updated this week, Saskatchewan’s health minister says the provincial government is trying to be part of the solution.

The new standards are voluntary, and aimed at improving the quality of life of residents in long-term care, which declined in many cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At one Regina care home, thirty-nine residents died from COVID-19 during an outbreak of the virus. During the early months of the pandemic, members of the Canadian Forces were called in to help at long-term care homes in Ontario and Quebec.

Health Minister Paul Merriman said Saskatchewan is working to bring more staff into its care homes.

“We’re recruiting more continuing care aids,” Merriman said. “We’re looking at the role of nurse practitioners in long-term care homes as well as expanding RN’s capabilities.”

The government is also working to expand of scope of certain health-care roles, the minister noted.

“You’ll remember a few years ago, pharmacists’ scope expanded from just dispensing to actually being able to renew prescriptions. That took some pressure off the general practitioners,” Merriman said.

He said the goal is to help relieve pressure across the entire healthcare system.

The government, the minister added, is continuing its work with stakeholders to find short- and long-term solutions to grow the workforce.

“Are there still some challenges and some service disruptions out there? Absolutely, but I think you’re seeing less and less of them across the province,” he said.

As of last week, Saskatchewan had made more than 160 job offers to international workers as part of its Health Human Resources Action Plan.