Alberta proposes new Continuing Care Act

“It will strengthen accountability and transparency, and better coordinate and align care and services across the whole system.”

The province says the proposed legislation is the result of a comprehensive review of Alberta’s facility-based continuing care system, as well as lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The government says the pandemic revealed gaps in the system and inconsistencies in the current legislation.

As a result, the province is proposing the following recommendations for the Continuing Care Act:

Replace multiple acts with one streamlined piece of legislation for continuing care
Improve transparency and accountability regarding how the continuing care system is governed
Enable a person-focused, flexible, and innovative system of care
Establish a consistent and aligned approach toward legislated requirements and services
Address gaps in the current legislation to provide greater authority to effectively monitor and enforce standards and compliance

The new Act would establish a revised system of standards and regulations, a consistent approach toward the inspection of continuing care facilities, and the authority to issue penalties if necessary.

The government recently announced almost $3.7 billion toward operating the continuing care system in its 2022 Budget.

Regarding the new legislation, Health Minister Copping says, “This is in addition to our historic investment of over $3.7 billion for continuing care and 1,515 new spaces opening this year.”

Publicly funded continuing care services currently include short-term or long-term home care, palliative and end-of-life care, and facility-based care, which includes designated supportive living and on-site long-term care.

If Bill 11 is passed, the new Continuing Care Act could be implemented by spring 2023.

Lori Sigurdson, NDP critic for Seniors and Housing, made the following statement in response to the introduction of Bill 11, Continuing Care Act:

“Over 1,605 deaths due to COVID-19 have happened in continuing care in Alberta. Many of these deaths were preventable. I was hoping for significant and transformational changes to the continuing care system to be announced today such as improving working conditions for continuing care staff and increasing the amount of full time staff to provide care.”

“This piece of legislation addresses some reasonable housekeeping items, but does not provide the transformational changes that the continuing care system desperately needs given the tragic failures we have seen in the past two years.

“It’s yet another reason why Albertans can’t trust the UCP.”

“The government claims they are ‘transforming continuing care,’ but this Bill leaves more questions than it answers when it comes to what’s not in it,” added Chris Gallaway, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. “There is nothing around staff-to-patient ratios, mandating minimum care hours, or improving care and working conditions. The government is still ignoring the real problems in continuing care, while leaving the potential for further privatization in the system.”

(With files from rdnewsNOW)

by Cathy Gibson

Alberta proposes new Continuing Care Act

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